


Things Change

by Shy1214



Category: That '70s Show
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-09-13 11:27:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 55,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9121468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shy1214/pseuds/Shy1214
Summary: Jackie's life wasn't going well, she was alone and her friends were no longer actual friends, she had lost the love of her life and everything else - especially her once incredible confidence, a new strange friend might help her find it and give her hope again, by giving Jackie the place to belong she'd always tried to find.





	1. chapter 1

Maybe it was the hundredth come on from Michael? Or the thousandth eye roll from Donna? Or the millionth smirk from Steven? But whatever it had been made Jackie leave the once welcoming basement that was now nothing more than a dank hell. They had been her friends, her family. And now she hardly recognized most of them. Michael’s sweetness was almost all gone, in its place the rampaging lust that had made Jackie’s teen years so painful and embarrassing. Donna had really always been a bit self-centered if Jackie was being brutally honest (contrary to popular belief she didn’t like speaking ill of her friends) but now she was a cold, condescending bitch that lack any empathy to those around her. And Steven? Well Steven was the hardest to watch now. He had once been the most decent of them all regardless of outside appearances; he did what was right even when it messed up his carefully constructed image. She had always known the image was just that, he came across as tough and aloof because he had decided it was preferable to be alone then to be left. She got that, she really did – especially now.  
Jackie knew she had faults and flaws, everyone did, but she had always believed that her friends cared about her anyway and found most of these flaws endearing as she did theirs. But that belief was long dead. Jackie knew now that in her once group of friends all sins and flaws were forgiven unless you were Jackie Burkhart. Then you could never do anything right, no matter what you tried you would always be treated like a stupid immature spoiled brat, 100 good deeds were unimportant to her friends the moment you got excited about a pretty dress – because obviously, Jackie was the only girl in the world who liked pretty dresses. It was elevated the stature of a war crime in her group and even donna with all her sisterhood rhetoric insulted her along with the boys for pretty much anything she happened to enjoy.  
So maybe that had been it? It had finally gotten through to her that these people were no longer her friends. They made her feel worthless while they patted themselves on the back for mediocre achievements, it was unfair and cruel and she had gotten up calmly, grabbed her coat and purse and left without a scene or a word, they were not her friends, they were not her family. They didn’t want her around and she was finally starting to realize she didn’t want to be around them either.  
These thoughts filled her head painfully as Jackie walked sedately down the dark streets; she had only been there in the first place because fez had asked her to wait for him there to ride home with him. Fez, the only real friend she had left she thought fondly, he was weird but he cared about her and they had fun being roommates, too bad he wasn’t brave enough to stand up for her when the others decided it was time for another round of Jackie bashing. She was lost in these thoughts as she walked the cold dark streets of point place; even her town was changing she thought bitterly. It was getting bigger now and losing its safe familiar feeling, new shopping centers, new track housing, progress and expansion. The looming 1980’s were not looking promising as far as she could tell. But what did she know? Jackie thought sadly, she had thought her and Steven were in love, that he cared about her in a deep immovable way, but in the end all it took for him to cast her aside were paranoid suspicions and one of Michaels stupid comments. Her life sucked plain and simple.  
Jackie stopped to wipe the tears out of her eyes muttering curses at her own weakness, but when she took in her surrounding her heart dropped. Somewhere along the way while she had been lost in her painful memories, she’d gotten lost for real! Where the hell was she now? She looked around the dim street for some kind of land mark or familiar anything, but it was like she was on the dark side of the moon. That’s when she knew that she had stupidly wandered to the dodgy side of town, the not so great area of point place that had turned into the bad part as the new buildings came in. she was screwed! She hadn’t known her way around when it wasn’t a place young woman shouldn’t be at night, and now it was a lot worse than it had been back then. She knew that Steven would know where they were if he were there, he was from this part of town and even if he wasn’t, Jackie knew that he prided himself on knowing every street in the whole town, he never got lost he never got nervous, he was prepared.  
Jackie was not prepared, she was cold and scared and just wanted to go home and go to bed. She spotted a man come out of a noisy establishment a ways down the street and in a moment of desperation, Jackie called out to him hoping for directions.  
“Sir! Hello sir?! Can you tell me how to get to Main Street from here?” Jackie asked politely  
The man turned slowly in her direction and blinked a few times “Main Street? Is that the one with the clown dog on it?” he asked slurring his speech, Jackie’s stomach dropped – he was drunk and she was scared of drunk stranger for some reason that donna would probably laugh at because of course she was so tough she didn’t need to fear the world, but Jackie had seen a lot more then they knew and she was well aware that she was not in a good place at the moment.  
“no, no wrong street thanks anyway” she said quickly and began taking steps backwards away from the man, sure he could be a nice man out on the town but she figured better safe than sorry.  
“Now don’t be like that sweetheart! Let me buy you and drink and well get to know each other” he said grabbing hold of Jackie’s arm  
“No thank you, I really need to be on my way” she said as calmly as she could manage.  
“You’re too pretty to go home so early swear heart, come inside with me and meet my pals!” he said ignoring the look of panic on her face.  
“No, please let go of me” she said firmly, proud that her voice wasn’t shaking like her hands  
“Don’t be a tease!” he yelled at her, and she felt a weird sort of vindication, there was a reason she didn’t like drunk strangers and there it was.  
“Let me go” she repeated trying to pull her arm free.  
“any girl who comes to this place is looking for exactly what I’m offerin’ so don’t play all coy girly” he snapped and yanked her hard by her arm.  
Jackie whimpered terrified and for a split second expected Steven to appear and save her like he always used to, but then it hit her all over again that her boyfriend that had been her hero and best friend was long gone, only Hyde remained and he would probably drink a beer and laugh about her getting what she deserved along with his trashy wife, while a group of drunks manhandled her.  
But still she struggled; she was too stubborn to go without a fight. As Jackie pulled away the man’s grip got tighter and his booze soaked brain got angrier, he was calling her names while Jackie shrieked for him to let go of her!  
Then a loud voice cut through the struggle “OI! What’cha doin’ bothering’ the kid?!” a very pissed off voice demanded, but not the very pissed off voice of Steven, this voice belonged to a woman? Jackie looked up and saw a girl a few years older and a bit taller than herself shove the drunk away from Jackie breaking his grip on her at last.  
“God damn bitch!” the man yelled angrily at the new arrival, who didn’t so much as flinch.  
“Get outta here and sleep it off buddy, before you end up with more to deal with then a hangover” the woman snarled dangerously. Jackie stared at the woman who was downright scary. Tight black clothes, black boots, leather vest covered in spikes and patches and messy black hair falling around her face in jagged junks with streaks of red running through it. This was not a sight often seen in small town Wisconsin.  
“You gonna make me bitch?” he sneered insultingly at her, and too Jackie’s (and likely his as well) shock, the woman just smirked confidently at the much larger man.  
“I could try, but even though I’d do some damage I probably wouldn’t win” she mused thoughtfully, then gave the man a disturbing sort of grin “but he will” she said jerking her thumb over her shoulder.  
The drunk and Jackie both looked in the direction she had pointed and leaning against a car with crossed arms was a man dressed much like she was, and if she was scary the man was downright terrifying! He was tall and obviously muscular even at a distance, but the thing that made Jackie’s attacker gulp and take a step back was the cold murderous look on the man’s face.  
“ya best be going pal, it aint gonna get better for ya from here” the woman told him bluntly, the implication clear – if her friend got involved there would be serious consequences, there was no doubt. The drunk knew this and stumbled away as quick as his impaired motor skills would allow until he was safely back in the bar he’d come from. Only then did the woman’s male companion push himself off the car and approach Jackie’s unlikely savior.  
“That was interesting’” he noted with a grin  
“Aye, thanks Connor” she replied in a much softer voice then she had been using to that point.  
“No trouble, I’m tired king we done here?” he asked hopefully  
“Just about, you can go get Kick and Max, I’ll meet you at the car in a sec” she said in a kind tone that conflicted with what Jackie had seen of her so far?  
Her scary friend Connor smiled warmly at her and nodded his head, then held his hand out to her, the woman – king? – shrugged off a strap from across her chest and gently handed Connor a guitar case that had been on her back.  
“You be careful with my baby there Conner” she warned seriously  
The intimidating man laughed “please, ya think I wanna hear you screeching if something happens to this?” he asked jokingly, and walked back inside.  
The woman chuckled softly at his comment before turning her attention to Jackie. Her over all look was weird and scary, but her face was kind.  
“This aint your kind of place I don’t think? You lost kid?” she asked kindly  
“Umm, yeah” Jackie admitted sort of embarrassed now that she’d done something so stupid and potentially dangerous. “I was walking and I wasn’t paying attention and I guess I must have taken a wrong turn?” she explained ruefully.  
“Well as you experienced firsthand, this aint a safe place for you to be alone, you want a ride home?” she offered Jackie casually.  
“Well umm, thank you for – well everything, but umm…..” Jackie didn’t want to be rude but she also didn’t want to make another naïve mistake that night.  
“But you don’t know me or my friends and don’t want to get in a car with a bunch of punked out strangers” king finished her thought for her, but instead of looking offended she grinned almost proudly at Jackie.  
“It’s nothing personal, im-im not trying to be rude! It’s just….I’ve had enough happen tonight and then that drunk guy and I don’t want to risk anything else cus I don’t think I can handle it” she admitted with a tired sigh.  
“No offense taken kid, you don’t have to apologize for being cautious” she said kindly  
“I’m Jackie Burkhart” Jackie said holding out her small hand, the woman’s smiled warmly and shook Jackie’s hand  
“Kingsley Macgregor, but my friend’s just call me King” she introduced herself; Jackie smiled then noticed the deplorable state of kings nails! Jagged edges and chipped black polish as well as cracks in her cuticles so bad Jackie was sure they were painful.  
“Oh my gosh, what happened to your hands?” she asked without thinking, and then realized it might have sounded rude and blushed sheepishly.  
But king just laughed “price I pay for doing my job, sort of ironic seeing as how I need them to play” she noted looking at her tattered finger nails as if they had betrayed her.  
“I could fix them for you” Jackie offered without thinking again, she loved doing nails; she also loved doing things for people that would make them feel better. Donna never saw it that way and always refused, calling Jackie’s offers for makeover or facials or manicures shallow, never understanding that a little primping could be fun – even therapeutic. That memory dawned on her and she braced herself for the oncoming derisive laughter she was sure king would let loose at her offer. After all, if Donna thought it beneath her surely this punk rocker (Jackie was pretty sure that’s what king was?) surely would.  
But king didn’t laugh, she nodded her head but her face was serious “first things first kid, we need to get you home. I understand not accepting a ride; I wouldn’t either if I didn’t know the people- that’s just being smart. But it aint safe for you to wander around this late when you don’t know where you are, so would you be comfortable with me walking you home?” she asked Jackie  
“I can’t let you do that Kingsley, its freezing out. Besides your friends will be mad if you leave won’t they?” Jackie asked trying to do the right thing.  
King snorted with laughter “they’re my friends not my parents, if I wanna go somewhere without them I can and they aren’t gonna think a thing of it. I’ll make you a deal kid, you let me walk you home so I don’t have to wonder if you made it ok, and when we get there I’ll let you do my nails” king proposed  
“You really want a manicure?” Jackie asked surprised  
King rolled her eyes playfully “cus I’m a punk I wouldn’t be up for that right?” she guessed knowingly but didn’t seem at all offended by the stereo type  
“I don’t know anything about punks” Jackie admitted “but I had a friend who always acted like it betrayed feminism to get a manicure” she didn’t even notice that she had put Donna’s friendship in the past tense.  
“well the first thing I’ll teach you about punks, is that we don’t care what people think or what they say we should do, now is it a deal?” king asked again  
“Deal!” Jackie grinned, maybe it wasn’t wise, but she had a feeling she could trust king.  
“Good, cus I’m freezing my ass off!” king exclaimed hopping in place to get the feeling back in her toes.  
A car horn honked nearby and king waived in the direction, Jackie watched the window roll down and the face of king’s friend Connor appear.  
“You ready now kings’?” he called over to her.  
“I’m going to walk Jackie here home, I’ll call for a ride from there” king explained to him.  
“Why don’t we just give her a ride?” Connor asked reasonably  
“Cus she’s a smart girl who isn’t gonna get into a car with a bunch of disreputable looking strangers!” a male voice from behind Connor yelled out.  
“What Kick said” King nodded agreement.  
“Thanks though” Jackie told Connor politely, a part of her mind amused that she was having such a conversation with a guy that had a Mohawk.  
“No worries Jackie” Connor said with a friendly smile “don’t call too late Kings’, I’m knackered” he asked with a yawn.  
“Aye mate, if it gets too late ill just walk” King promised  
“I didn’t say that, one of us will do it – scratch that, one of us that isn’t Kick will come get you” he amended  
“Why not me?” the same voice asked from the back of the car sounding offended.  
“Cus you can’t drive worth a damn!” Connor cried  
“Jeez, one little incident and people lose all faith in your abilities” the one in the back huffed  
“One? 17 Kick! 17 incidents! You are never driving again while there is breath in my body!” Connor vowed  
“Fine!” Kick yelled petulantly, Jackie couldn’t even see the one in the back, but he sounded like fun to hang out with.  
“Anyway my amusing children” King drawled.  
“I’ll call ya later” she told them and waved good bye to the car carrying her friends, Jackie waived too then followed King back the way she had come.  
“So where are you from?” Jackie asked curiously while they walked down the deserted street.  
“California” King supplied  
“Wow, that’s a long way. How did you end up in point place Wisconsin?” she asked wondering how the tiny boring town could ever be a destination?  
“Well were on a tour of sorts, but at this point it’s more of an adventure” King admitted with a half-smile  
“Whys that?” Jackie knew one of the things people didn’t like about her was she often lacked tact, but she was curious and it saved time to ask things directly, it was one of the things Steven had always said he liked about her, she got right to the point.  
King didn’t seem to mind it either “well, we started out with a manager who booked the shows and handled the money, but he decided to take all the money we had and disappear while we were in madison, when I find him I will be allowing Connor to beat him senseless, but I digress. So anyway, he took all our money and ran off, and we made it to this charmingly backwards town before we ran out of gas. Now for the foreseeable future we live here, it’s been about three weeks and no offence, but I’m not exactly falling in love with your town” King admitted dryly.  
“I’m not too fond of it myself” Jackie agreed darkly, thinking about all the bad things that had happened to her in point place.  
“so at the moment were just trying to gather enough money to get back home, we play the club we were leaving every weekend for about $30 a night, our bass player Max got a job at some cheesy diner teenager hang out at, Kick tends bar at some dive on maple, Connor hasn’t had much luck yet cus he scares everyone he talks to” King explained  
“Are you close to having enough?” Jackie asked curiously  
“not really” King laughed humorlessly “ were staying at the motel over on hillcrest and it costs about $25 a week, and we gotta eat and wash our clothes and buy gas to get to the jobs we have so saving up enough to get home is slow going” she told Jackie with a shrug.  
“I wish I could help” Jackie told king truthfully, there had been a time when she would have just whipped out her check book and gotten the strange group home, but those days were over. As Steven and his disgusting wife were so fond of pointing out Jackie had no job and no money so she was in no position to help anyone else.  
“Nah its fine, I got a line on some work soon and that’ll help a lot, besides like I said, it’s an adventure” King told Jackie with a wide smile.  
They finally reached Jackie’s apartment building and she led king up the three flights of stairs to her and fez’s door. She led her new friend (at least she hoped they were friends) inside and offered her a seat on the couch.  
“Nice place” King said looking around at the plain apartment  
“It’s really not” Jackie disagreed realistically  
“Compared to the ‘Ed's travel lodge’ it’s fantastic” King noted dryly, Jackie nodded – that was fair enough.  
“Do you really want me to do your nails?” she asked nervously, a part of her afraid it had been a joke to placate her.  
King raised an eyebrow at the worried look on Jackie’s face “you don’t have to, but id appreciate it” she replied  
“No, no I’d love to! It’s just…I’m used to being made fun of and now it’s hard to believe anything people say” she reluctantly admitted, she didn’t want this strong impressive woman to know how pathetic she really was.  
But Kings face remained blank “I don’t say a lot that I don’t mean kid, go get your stuff” she told Jackie with a weird tone. Jackie went to her room to get her manicure kit and king watched her go with a thoughtful look in her blue eyes.  
“What’s happened to you kid?” she whispered to herself.  
Kingsley McGregor was young, but she had done a lot of living in her short 23 years of life. She had been many places, seen many things and met many kinds of people from all walks of life. And she recognized a hopeless pain in Jackie’s eyes that made her curious. What could have happened to this sweet kid that caused that look? One thing she had in common with Jackie was that King wasn’t in the habit of wasting time beating around the bush, when Jackie got back she was gonna ask her what the deal was plain and simple.  
Jackie reappeared with a box full of nail care supplies and various colors of polish which she set on the coffee table, she then held out her hand for kings and wordlessly began stripping the chipped polish off with foul smelling remover,  
“Sorry about the smell” she murmured absently, focused on her task.  
“I’ll live” King shrugged untroubled “so, what had you so distracted you walked over a mile out of your way without realizing it?” King asked evenly.  
“Oh, you don’t want to hear about that” Jackie waved off the question deprecatingly.  
“I do actually, what was it?” King pressed gently.  
“Just a bad day, no big deal” Jackie tried to lie, but one look at king’s face told her the older girl wasn’t buying it.  
“The best way to deal with troubles is to share them kid” King advised  
“I’ve been told repeatedly that I whine too much” Jackie smiled sadly as she began to smooth the jagged edges of kings polish free nails.  
“Well I just met you so you haven’t whined at all yet” King said kindly.  
“Ok?” Jackie said hesitantly, and then began to tell King about her troubles. Her mom’s drinking and abandonment, her dad’s crimes and jail time, Michael, Donna, and Steven….and Sam. By the time she was done Jackie was ashamed of how much she had dumped on her new friend


	2. chapter 2

King listened to Jackie’s story with respectful silence, it took a lot of effort but she also managed to keep her expression neutral as she listened to the sweet kid blame herself for her friend’s terrible treatment of her. King had an urge to find this group of self-centered jerks and teach them a few rules about how you treat your fellow man let alone your friends! When Jackie finished king took a deep breath to calm her before speaking.  
“Kid, stop blaming yourself ok? None of that could have been your fault” she told Jackie seriously “your dad isn’t the first rich guy to want more and do some shady stuff to get it; it had nothing to do with you you just got caught in the crossfire, and your mom? She has a disease kid, alcoholism is alcoholism whether you’re rich and beautiful or poor and deformed, and there is no such thing as a classy drunk. She has a problem that she had long before you kid and nothing you could have done would have changed that, it’s on her to change. Now as for your ‘friends’ – and I use that term grudgingly – there’s not a damn thing you could have done to deserve the way they treat you ok?” king told her adamantly.  
“No, I did deserve some of it, I was spoiled and childish and shallow. I’m saying I deserved all of it – especially now because I honestly don’t think I’m the same anymore, but I understand how they started acting that way” Jackie told king truthfully.  
“Jeez kid, your what 18?” king guessed  
“19” Jackie corrected  
“People start out immature and childish Jackie, that’s not a character flaw only you happen to have no matter what those people made you think. Can you honestly tell me none of them ever acted selfish or stupid of shallow?” king challenged her  
“I guess they were sometimes?” Jackie admitted softly  
“Of course they were! Because everyone is, because growing up means learning how to behave better, it’s very rare to start out always knowing how you should act and what you should do in every situation. People evolve if they reflect on their actions, you’re a kind person who cares about people and wants to do things for them to show it, that’s a core trait kid. We get attached to people when were young who aren’t really good for us, people that don’t allow us to grow and become who were supposed to be because they’re not ready to do the same, those kind of people aren’t good to stay around because they only see the world from their own perspective, you have to look at other angles, learn other ways see other points of view, if you think your always right then you’re saying you can’t learn anything new – and that’s stagnation. You have to keep learning and growing kid. So those people? They aren’t your friends Jackie, they’re people you know, and there is a big difference.” King told Jackie in a gentle but very serious tone, she was trying her best to show Jackie she didn’t owe these basement people anything.  
“You make it sound so easy, and I’d love to believe you that it’s not my fault, I really would, but I know a lot of it is. I know I was bitchy and bossy, I know that’s what drove them away” she admitted her private fear about how unlovable she was to the punk rock girl on her couch.  
“Jackie listen to me – nothing makes it alright for people to treat you badly, if the way people are treating you hurts you its wrong! It isn’t their place to punish you for being naive, and none of them could possibly be so perfect they’re allowed to pass judgment on you. I’m sorry kid, but they aren’t your friends, I think you’d feel better if you simply moved on” king advised her solemnly.  
“It’s not that easy” Jackie told her and explained about the Forman’s and fez, and how she couldn’t stand to sever connections with them.  
“Then don’t” king said simply  
“But to see them I have to put up with the others and I’m not strong like you king, what they say still hurts me” Jackie said sadly  
“I wasn’t always strong Jackie, I wasn’t always who I am now. I used to be someone I didn’t like I just like you I thought I was stuck being that way – living that life forever. But someone helped me, and I’d be more than happy to help you” king told her kindly.  
“What were you like?” Jackie couldn’t help but ask the curiosity was just too strong.  
King smiled wryly “I was an arrogant elitist jerk” king admitted with a grimace.  
“You were?” Jackie couldn’t picture it, she may have just met king but none of those words seemed to fit her at all.  
“Sadly yes, you see kid, I’m a musician and I’m not going to bother with false modesty – I’m really damn good, and the way I was brought up made me think it was ok to act like I was better than people because of my talent. And when I remember some of the things I said to people or the way I would act I’m still ashamed, because I know better now” king sort of explained  
“And someone helped you change?” Jackie asked  
“Sort of, someone helped me be strong enough to be myself after I realized how wrong id been”  
“What made you realize?” again she didn’t bother with tact  
“I was in Texas, and I was at this hole in the wall club. This guy came out and played the blues and….. I’m damn good, but this guy was – transcendent. I’d never seen anything like it, and it humbled me kid, it didn’t take away from my talent it didn’t make me suddenly think I was no good, it just made me see that there was still something to achieve and I hadn’t come close yet. I have something to strive for now a goal, and I’d never had that before, I owe that guy a lot because now I know there’s room to get better, to maybe be as good as him. And that effectively killed my arrogance on the spot. After that I met Connor, and he helped me be strong enough to break away from the people in my life who only wanted their perceived version of me and ridiculed anything I did outside that character, he told me he was my friend no matter how I was so to just be myself, I still struggle with it sometimes, but it’s easier every day because I know my crew cares about me no matter what.”   
Jackie listened with rapt attention to kings words, she envied her so much being able to transform into herself, and Jackie yearned to do the same every day.  
“Before – before Chicago and Sam, I didn’t hate who I was because I was sure Steven liked me even when I acted spoiled. I believed that he saw who I really was and helped me grow up. He was always there for me even when he said he hated me when we first met. He told me once that I annoyed the hell out of him but he never hated me, and he sort of like how innocent I was and wanted to protect it as long as he could. But I don’t think I believe him anymore, I sort of think now that it was all a long game to make me miserable. I can’t really believe anyone if they claim to care about me, even fez, because I’ve been lied to so much. I’ve never been good enough for anyone and I’m only starting to understand that” Jackie told king so honestly the older girl knew she actually believed the ridiculous things she said.  
“kid, you sound like you don’t know who you are without those kids, but you ARE someone you just need to figure out who.” King told her then picked a shade of red for Jackie to use on her nails and tossed it to the tiny brunette “I’ll be around for a while to help, and believe me – nothing that lot could say would scare me” king assured her.  
“This color will look great with your skin tone” Jackie told her helpfully  
“I’ll take your word for it, I’m not good at this girly stuff” she admitted bashfully  
“Do you wish you were?” Jackie asked surprised.  
“I’m human Jackie; I care about my appearance to a point. I paint my nails because they always look crappy and it makes me self-conscious when I play. And I …..You know? Want to look pretty on occasion” king muttered embarrassedly and blushed a bit as she stared at her boots.  
“Oh my god!! You’re in love!” it wasn’t a question; Jackie could see it in her face as clear as day. “Who is it? One of the guys in you band right?” Jackie asked excitedly.  
“Uh….yeah, please never say anything around any of them?!” king suddenly begged looking less self-assured and more like a scared girl. But it didn’t lower Jackie’s opinion of her at all; she knew how much love could sap your confidence.  
“I won’t I swear, which one is it?” Jackie asked less excitedly and more kindly.  
King stared at her blood red manicure Jackie had just finished and bit her lip shyly “you met him….Connor” she almost whispered the name as if she thought he might be able to hear her confession.  
“Why haven’t you said anything to him?” Jackie wondered “I’m sure he likes you, you guys are already friends and you’re really pretty for a scary looking punk chick” she teased good naturedly, making king chuckle.  
“I can’t tell him Jackie” king said seriously  
“Why not?” Jackie demanded  
“He’s engaged” king told her in a dead voice.


	3. chapter 3

Jackie stared at king in stunned silence until she finally found the best words she could.  
“oh king, im so sorry” Jackie murmured softly, her mis matched eyes full of unshed tears.  
King shook herself a bit and looked back at Jackie with acceptance. “That’s life, sometimes falling in love is the worst thing that can ever happen to you, but you just have to deal with it,” she shrugged in acceptance of her position.  
“have you ever thought of telling him how you feel?” Jackie asked  
“I thought about it, but I know I never will, he doesn’t deserve that Jackie, he’s been a great friend to me and finding out I feel for him would only make things awkward and difficult. His fiancé wouldn’t trust him on the road with us anymore and that would hurt all three of them as well as me. Not every love has to be declared, sometimes you just have to ignore it until it goes away” king sighed  
“do you think it will go away?” Jackie asked her pointedly  
“I think that time will dull its strength, and one day ill love someone else. But I know that even 20 years from now if a thought of him pops in my head ill feel the same way about him that I do now, ive been in a few kinds of love over the last 8 or 9 years, enough to know for sure this is something completely different. Don’t worry about me Jackie, Ill be just fine.” King assured her worried expression with an easy smile.  
Jackie decided to change the subject to spare king any pain.  
“would you maybe want to hang out again while youre in town?” she asked a little scared to be rejected again,  
“course!” king exclaimed laughing at jackie’s doubt “we have a show tomorrow night at 8 on the same street I found you on, ill put your name down as a guest and you can meet the rest of my crew. It’ll be a fun show I promise” king told her encouragingly  
Jackie bit her lip thoughtfully “I don’t know king, I really don’t think id fit in at all” she pointed out,   
King grinned her confident grin and laughed a short laugh “that’s the point Jackie” she told the younger girl comfortingly  
“are you sure you want me to go?” Jackie hesitated  
“I wouldn’t ask otherwise” king informed her with a shrug  
“what should I wear?” fashion conscious Jackie couldn’t help but ask  
“whatever you want, ill make sure no one bothers you,” king told her, then saw the fear about it in jackies eyes “just be yourself kid, that’s all any of us really have, be who you want to be and don’t worry about the people that don’t like it, worry about the people that want you anyway” king imparted softly.  
Jackie already looked up to this not much older girl more then she ever had donna or her mother, she wanted to belive that what king said was possible, that she could one day be strong and independent like king was. In that moment Jackie made a choice, she would do whatever she wanted to do no matter how hard it was to break her lifelong habits of trying to please everyone around her, she was going to try and do what she really truly honestly wanted to do. She just had no idea what that was?  
King went home a bit later leaving Jackie alone on the couch thinking over all the odd girl had said, it was confusing that someone as different from herself as king was still seemed more accepting of her then her own frineds ever had? She kept thinking about what king had said ‘be yourself, that’s all any of us really has’, be herself. The problem was Jackie really didn’t know who that was anymore? She wasn’t rich, she wasn’t popular , she wasn’t a cheerleader, she wasn’t a tv host, she wasn’t a student, what was she now?  
“unhappy” she muttered to herself.  
But she was damn tired of being unhappy, she couldn’t remember a time where she was really happy? Except for some of the time she had been with steven, but even those happy times had a bitter taste of being made fun of when she thought of them. Jackie sat quietly and thought – really thought about her life and the people in it.  
Fez? – deep affection, he was her most trusted friend and she would never hurt him if she could help it.  
Mr. and mrs. Forman? – they were her family, the parents she wanted to be proud of her, she could never bare to lose contact with them or hurt them in anyway.  
Eric? She respected him and missed him a lot more then she thought she would, but he was still in Africa and he couldn’t help her there.  
Micheal? To her surprise thoughts of Michael made her furious, his disgusting actions that hid behind his mask of stupidity made her want to scratch her nails across his pretty face! How dare he think he can do and say anything he wants and get away with it because everyone thinks hes a moron?! Yes she was done with him.  
Donna? Disappointment and disgust, some feminist! Spouts her rhetoric but doesn’t do a damn thing to back it up, acts like if you disagree with her you must be wrong, belittles all those around her while acting if shes the smartest most enlightened one there! She felt a weight lift from her shoulders when her mind finally made the connection that she no longer respected donna, let along care what she thought of her now.  
And steven? She loved steven with a passion that would never die. He was the answer to every question she had ever had, well, until now. At one point she had tried to differentiate between her steven and the others hyde, but gave up when she realized that she loved them both, her brave noble steven and the immature jerk hyde who she just want to comfort like the wounded child she knew for a fact he was.  
She didn’t want to give up on steven, she would never ever belive that he was the pathetic loser he seemed happy to be lately. She believed in him she just knew she had to avoid him for a very long time. He was too bitter, too drunk, too lost for her to brave being around.  
As Jackie came to these conclusions the apartment door opened and fez came in looking relieved to see her at home.  
“where did you go? Everyone was worried” he told her taking off his jacket and hanging it on the hook.  
“no they weren’t” Jackie said flatly  
“some of us were” he tried again  
“not true either” Jackie said in a bored tone  
“I was concerned” he finally told her the truth and sat beside her on the couch, Jackie smiled at him  
“thank you fez” she murmured and gave him a quick hug before heading to her room, eager to begin on the coarse of action she had come up with.  
Jackie pulled out all the clothes, shoes and accessories she owned and began sorting them into two piles.  
What I actually like – and what I don’t like  
It may have sounded simple, but much of jackies life had been dedicated to seeking others approval, so even though she had a scary amount of clothes, when she looked at them objectively she wasn’t too surprised to find that she didn’t really like much of what she owned. Fancy designer clothes were her mothers influence, rocker girl clothes were trying to gain donna’s approval, bright colored trendy clothes were to placate the other kids at school. When she was done she had a tiny pile of jeans and a few skirts and blouses, a unicorn sweater she had bought with her first ever paycheck, a nice suit for job interviews, a good black dress for occasions, and a tattered black tshirt she hated that she couldn’t part with so she shoved it in the back of a drawer.  
Jackie fell asleep that night feeling lighter and hopefull for the first time in almost a year, things weren’t going to turn around for her – she was going to change them herself. She was Jackie freakin’ Burkhart! And she had a will of iron, itd just been sleeping for awhile.

She woke early the next morning and loaded up all the things she had decided she didn’t want into her car, she had a plan and it was nice to feel determined again. She had the show that night to look forward too and Jackie might have been scared of the new path she was taking but she would be damned if she let fear stop her again! With that thought firmly in her mind, Jackie drove to a small clothing shop she had heard about and proceeded to sell her large collection of designer clothes, shoes and bags. It wasn’t hard, the lady who owned the shop was more then happy to buy it all for a fair price and offered Jackie a discount on anything she wanted to buy there. Jackie shoped throught the store amazed at how hard it was to shop for just herself without thinking of anyone else?   
By the time she got back to her apartment she was weighed down by bags and exauhsted but happy. She had bought things she had truly wanted, things she could use a lot, she was proud of herself for making choices she had always let others influence her on. Even the urge to buy clothes that king might wear were quashed firmly, Jackie was sure king would see right through such an attempt anyway. When she opened the front door though her good mood evaporated, the whole of the basement gang was seated around her living room drinking beer and talking. They glanced up when she walked in and Jackie braced herself for the oncoming burns.  
“jeez Jackie, do you think you bought enough?” donna sneared contemptuously at the sight of her shopping bags. Jackie ignored it though, she knew that it wasn’t a shopping spree that’s all that mattered.  
“now donna be fair, she has to fill the void of having no job and no boyfriend somehow” hyde said nastily, while sam snickered from her seat on the arm of his chair.  
“I have a job” Jackie replied simply and went to put her bags in her room, she would give fez the left over money for rent when they weren’t around to comment.  
Out in the living room donna looked taken aback at jackies casual announcement   
“she has a job? Where? Since when?” donna demanded of fez, she had the audacity to act offeneded that Jackie hadn’t told her.  
“I don’t know it must be new?” fez shrugged blankly  
As it happened the lady who owned the store Jackie had been at offered her a job doing window displays and generally helping around the busy shop, Jackie had accepted on a temporary basis as she had a decision to make that might mean she couldn’t keep the job for long. She put her new things away carefully, but left out the outfit she had chosen to wear to king’s bands show that night. Jackie was nervous and excited, she had only been to a couple concerts and they were all ones that the basement gang had wanted to go to and grudgingly permited her to tag along. She had just wanted to be included, but usually got called a square for her efforts, now a girl who would probably see the basement gang as squares had invited her to a show and Jackie didn’t know what to expect?  
She didn’t want to stick out, but she knew that she would never fit in, so Jackie opted to dress plainly. She pulled on a pair of tight black jeans with straight legs and a red t-shirt with a black vest, and her brand new pair of p.f. flyers, when she had been in grade school all the kids had them and she had always wanted a pair but knew her parents would never allow her to wear boy shoes as they called them. But when she had spotted the pair in the store, she found that she still wanted a pair so she bought them and felt an odd vindication that they were a lot more comfortable then her usual shoes.  
She braced herself and went back into the hostile territory of her living room to leave for the show. She grabbed her wallet and keys, shoving them into her jacket pocket and waved half heartedly at the people in her home.  
“see you later” she said to be polite and headed towards the front door when donna’s voice stopped her.  
“Jackie where are you going?! Erics flight just got in and he and kelso are headed here now” she cried almost accusingly towards the tiny brunette, who looked surprised and confused.  
“oh I didn’t know, no one told me and I promised to be somewhere” she explained calmly.  
“look Jackie, whatever pathetic date you have can wait, god! You always do this! Why cant you just grow up and stop being so freaking selfish?!” donna demanded angrily  
Jackie stared back coolley replaying kings words in her head ‘theyre not friends kid, theyre just people you know’ it helped the pain of being attacked groundlessly.  
“if anyone had bothered telling me that eric was coming home I wouldn’t have made plans, but no one did so im not breaking a promise at the last minute because you didn’t think to tell me” she informed donna calmly, making the bleach blonde gape at her.  
“uh Jackie?” fez called timidly  
“yeah fez?” she asked  
“um, im sorry but kelso blocked your car in and took the vista cruiser to get eric” he told her regretfully  
Jackie closed her eyes to remain calm “I suppose if your car was available you wouldn’t be telling me this?” she guessed astutely  
“I am so sorry Jackie, but it is in the shop” fez admitted, he felt terrible that she couldn’t make her escape as she had planned, he might not be brave enough to stand up to his friends for the way they treated his Jackie, but it didn’t mean he didn’t hate it and know that it was wrong.  
“dammit” Jackie muttered and changed direction to the phone on the counter. She fished a number out of her jeans pocket and dialed it carefully then waited while it rang, while also pointedly ignoring the curious looks on everyones faces.  
“hi its Jackie- umm not so good, my cars blocked in and I don’t have another way there – no you don’t have to do that, im sure your busy! – oh ok ill see you soon then” and Jackie hung up the phone looking relieved to fez. She sat at the small dining table across from fez and smiled at him, he warmly returned her smile while hoping the others kept their mouths shut until Jackie got picked up by whoever it was.  
Fez was not a lucky man.  
“Jackie, why is there a lock on the outside of your door?” donna asked out of nowhere, apparently she had spotted one of the new additions Jackie had put in the week before. “id have thought youd be used to fez’s perving by now” donna laughed coldly, Jackie patted fez’s hand comfortingly and answered without thinking  
“its not for fez” she said absently, more worried about her dear friends feelings then what would surely be donna’s follow up question.  
“then whos it for?” donna asked frowning  
“people I don’t trust” Jackie shrugged casually, like it was no big deal, but the implication was clear – they were who she didn’t trust, no one else came to the apartment.  
“oh damn! And I had my heart set on stealing that unicorn candy dish too!” hyde joked coldly from behind his glasses.  
“good luck fighting the rats at the land fill for it” Jackie told him without bothering to look at him.  
“yeah right, like you’d really throw away something your precious kelso got you” hyde spat the words with more then a hint of venom  
“whatever” Jackie ignored his run of the mill jibe.  
“she did actually” fez interjected calmly “she threw out everything anyone had ever given her….it wasn’t a big box” he whispered the last part sadly to himself, Jackie who was so generouse to those she cared about, was the one usualy left out at Christmas and ignored on her birthday, he was proud that she had kept his gifts. But hyde had gone white as a sheet at fez’s words.  
“all of them?” he choked out staring at Jackie intently  
“what do you care?” Jackie asked him blandly  
“I don’t! it just sounds…rude to throw away gifts from your friends” he claimed lamely, she knew he didn’t think that at all, Jackie knew when he lied and he knew it too.  
“I didn’t throw out gifts from people that care about me, see?” she said holding up her wrist where she wore a plain black watch “ mr. and mrs. Forman gave me this for my birthday so id never be late to something important” she repeated their sweet words to her fondly,  
“when it was my birthday last month everybody told me that red doesn’t give presents!” sam said in a shriell voice, making Jackie wince.  
“I didn’t know he did?” donna offered lamely, she herself had never received a gift from her long time boyfriends father but somehow Jackie of all people had? Donna would have to think that over later or demand an answer from eric, one of the two.  
“so what all did you throw out princess?” hyde continued the original conversation with a casual tone, but his fingers gripped the neck of his bottle tightly as he waited for Jackie to answer.  
“pretty much everything else” she shrugged without bothering to so much as look at hyde “it was funny actually, all the stuff that people who claimed to care about me gave me as gifts looked like the stuff you find under the seat of a car, bouncy balls, foil wrappers, vending machine rings” she listed absently while filing her nails, she hoped her ride would be there soon.  
“foil wrappers?! Wow your life is pathetic isn’t it?” sam asked with mock concern, donna snorted with barely concealed laughter but neither noticed the angry set of hyde’s jaw.  
“it seemed sweet at the time, but yes my life was pretty pathetic to think that was sweet” Jackie agreed with the skanky stripper who had overturned her whole life without any malice in her voice.  
“they say it’s the thought that counts” hyde defended casually, hoping donna didn’t remember that particular joke he and Jackie had had about something shiny.  
“I always thought that too” Jackie agreed without bothering to look at him, she couldn’t risk it, if he saw in her eyes that she still gave a damn about him he would never ever try, and it hurt her to watch how hes given up on himself, she had always wanted such good things for him even if she wasn’t with him she didn’t want him miserable and drunk waisting away.  
Finally there was a nock at the door and donna, being the closest to it answered before Jackie could even stand, Jackie knew it was the possibility of it being eric that made donna even bother. But just as Jackie had expected, in the door way stood not a skinny guy freshly back from Africa, but a girl in ripped jeans and fishnets and a leather jacket covered in spikes and safety pins, there was a chain with a pad lock around her neck and her red and black hair was up in messy pig tails which made Jackie grin at the ludicrous hair style. Kings heavily made up blue eyes looked donna up and down then dawned with recognition.  
“uh, can I help you?” donna asked taken aback at the strangers apearence  
“doubtfull” king replied, her red lips twisting into the pirate smile Jackie had seen a few times already but which seemed to make donna nervouse? Then she turned her attention to Jackie and her smile held some warmth “you ready kid?” she asked as she pulled at the ragged hem of her black tank top which was so thread bare her red bra was almost visible.  
“yep, thanks for picking me up, I didn’t want to miss it” Jackie said honestly, doing her best to ignore the looks from everyone else.  
“no worries Jackie, lets get going though its getting late” king remineded her and gestured for Jackie to get moving.  
“wait, your date is with a girl?” sam asked stupidly  
Jackie stopped and gave the stripper a calm look “I never said I had a date, I said I had plans” she pointed out and went out the door that king held.  
“yep, jackie’s gonna hang with my crew tonight and I don’t know that were gonna give her back” king laughed at the obvious looks of shock at her appearance, it was no less then she had been expecting since it wasn’t exavtly a new reaction, especially there in point place. With a parting grin king shut the door, leaving the remaining friends gaping in her wake not knowing what to think?  
“so” donna began “Jackie made some new friends?’ she asked anyone who might know what had just happened.  
“not her usual crowd” hyde noted evenly to hide the knot of discomfort that had twisted into his guts.  
“well its not really a surprise she had to sink pretty low to find friends now that you all finally got sick of her crap” sam shrugged disinterestedly  
“we didn’t get sick of her” donna defended against the acusation.  
“really?” fez asked giving the once red head a hard look “you treat her like a burden, but still expect her to drop everything when you want her to! That girl just now scared me and im not ashamed to say so because ive never seen a person like that before, and im worried sick about what my sweet Jackie had gotten caught up in since all of you turned on her! But im happy for her that she finally has people that want her around, even if I wished that she had found less terrifying friends, she deserves better then what she’s had you sons of bitches!” he cried and went into his room slamming the door.

Across town in a dingy poorly ventilated little club, Jackie was falling in love – with music she never would have thought she would even like. It wasn’t pretty, or soothing it didn’t have a beat you could dance to, but it was amazing! King had told her on the way there that there was a beauty in the chaos if you bothered to look, and Jackie saw it. The reckless abandon was intoxicating, and Jackie watched in awe as king took the stage like she owned it. It was her place, she was cool, confident and had such a presence that Jackie couldn’t look away, she held her black guitar covered in stickers and graffiti like an extension of herself and commanded the attention and respect of anyone in the room. Kick turned out to be the singer and front man, his energy and charisma were undeniable and the level of excitement in the crowd increased along with him, their bass player max was the embodiment of mysterious cool and connor was just as intimidating a drummer as he had been when Jackie first saw him, he kept the beat with crashing power and speed she had never seen before. They played with a dis-chordent harmony that made the adrenaline pump through her veins until keeping still wasn’t an option and Jackie joined in the seething mass of people running and shoving in perfect balance.   
It was the best night of her life, and the first time she could remember beign accepted without question, the people there looked weird and a bit scary to her, but when she fell down the scariest of them helped her up and smiled encouragingly at her. A guy with a shaved head and red suspenders tried to grope her but before Jackie could even yell, a tall man with a blue Mohawk had her molester by the throat and was throwing him roughly through the door, while another girl with a safety pin through her lip assured Jackie that no one would let an outsider hurt one of them. Jackie blinked – she wasn’t the outsider? Had she really found a place to belong so easily? She wanted badly for it to be true, but she wouldn’t get her hopes up just yet, for now she told herself she would just enjoy the incredible energy of the show and work to readjust her mindset that chains spikes and mohawks don’t mean people aren’t kind and caring.


	4. chapter 4

A/N hi, so first off I should add the disclaimer that I own none of this and do it for enjoyment. Now that that’s out of the way, I would like to apologize for forgetting to spell check and proof read the last chapter, I know I repeated some stuff too many times but I literally wrote it out and posted it. Now for the time line, I never liked the fez Jackie thing they tried in the last season, it was stupid and felt forced so I dropped the whole thing. I am leaving Sam in there because I felt like they let Hyde off the hook with it being a fake marriage and I think he should fix it himself. And I also have never ever liked Donna or Kelso, I started watching the show when it premiered and they bugged me from the get go, because they are annoying and shallow. I always liked Jackie because she was real, she grew and evolved – you know like humans do. And I love the stories out there where she makes some real friends and matures with a support system. Also, I love Hyde, since I was a kid watching the show I identified with him most and I’m going to try and do him justice although I apologize for not getting the characters right a lot of the time, I probably could but it would take a lot longer and I’m impatient.   
So far I have gotten one comment and that was kind of cool, but it has occurred to me that not a lot of people were probably as deep into the punk rock scene as I was so some of it might not make sense? So here’s some hopefully helpful info. In the 80’s the punk scene changed from violent antiestablishment to a sort of sub culture for unity against the establishment and status quo, they fought racism sexism and homophobia and it was a damn awesome scene. The group I’m writing about are supposed to be the beginning of that change in the scene, in it for the community- against the stereo types, it was a thing. Anyhow if there is anything else anyone wants clarified let me know and I’ll give it a shot. Oh, and if anybody can guess the blues musician king talked about, I’ll be way impressed.

 

 

Chapter 4-  
The show ended to thunderous applause, and Jackie screamed just as loud as everyone else there. She was a bit surprised that there were as many people in the little club as there were? She had never seen any of these sorts of people around point place before and never would have thought there was a punk scene there or even anywhere nearby? But somehow there was.   
King had said to wait for them by the bar after the show and they would meet her and hang out, but the longer Jackie waited the more she began to worry, and doubt that her new friend would show? She’d been the butt of more than one joke along the same line and it was completely possible that she had misunderstood king. Jackie refused to give up though, she had seen firsthand that what king had told her on the way over was very true, ‘look past the clothes and the hair and they are some of the best people you could hope to meet’, it had been true. Jackie didn’t judge them and in return they didn’t judge her, not only did they not judge her but they invited her in and included her, they found common ground as people not labels and had a hell of a time!  
Just when Jackie was wondering how she would get home if she had indeed been ditched? She caught sight of black and red hair bobbing through the crowd and heading in her direction. Sure enough moment’s later king appeared in front of her, tired and sweaty but smiling.  
“You have fun?” she asked Jackie, hopefully.  
“Yes! It was amazing and you play so….cool?” Jackie wasn’t sure what the word was for what she had seen?  
King laughed but nodded her head that she got the gist of what Jackie meant “like I told you kid, I’m damn good” she joked without arrogance, it was simple fact and false modesty is somewhat annoying truth be told.  
She gestured for Jackie to get up and follow her “come on, were going to go get some food, being up there really takes it out of you and I’m starving” king told her over the din of the crowd still packed into the small place.  
Jackie followed king outside to the parking lot and easily spotted her band mates leaning against the car king had picked her up in earlier, she also noticed the way Connor stood up and watched king approach, Jackie became sure that he had some sort of feelings for his friend in return and had a moment of her past self, wanting to play matchmaker, but instantly crushed the urge. King could take care of herself, and wouldn’t appreciate any meddling, not to mention the stakes were much higher with the situation then Jackie was used to. These people had a bond Jackie still didn’t fully understand or believe, and as king had said – Connor was engaged, that was not something to toy with no matter how much Jackie wanted to do something for king as a thank you for her friend ship. Jackie’s steps faltered on the cold asphalt when she realized her mind had rejected manipulating a situation?! Then she smiled a little to herself, who says people can’t change?  
King walked directly to the passenger door, Connor was again driving while max and kick were about to pile into the back seat, but a shrill whistle from king stopped them.  
“Jackie here is going to ride with us, she’s going to be in the back with you two, you WILL behave am I clear?!” she asked her two boisterous friends ominously.  
Both men nodded to their guitarist and greeted Jackie nicely, and ushered her into the car.   
On the drive kick tried to make conversation in the silent car, max was staring out the window and so was king, Connor was focused on the road and Jackie was too shy to start a conversation so it was left to the energetic front man to break the awkward vibe.  
“So Jackie” he began brightly “are you still in school?” it was the best he could come up with on short notice.  
“no, I just graduated last June” Jackie told him, trying not to feel the usual sadness that accompanied the memory of all her friends – including her boyfriend- ditching her graduation party, luckily kick was already onto the next ‘get to know you’ question.  
“What are you doing now? Work, college travel?” he listed off the common options with a huge infectious smile.  
“I just got a job at a store I start there Monday, school probably isn’t going to happen” Jackie admitted and tried very hard to sound casual about it.  
“Why not?” kick asked innocently, he didn’t know about her dad and all the horror he was just curious.  
“Umm, because I can’t afford tuition and I waited too long to decide about a scholarship I was offered, I’m sure the offer expired by now.” Jackie explained doing her best to keep the sadness out of her voice, she couldn’t bear if they felt sorry for her, she wanted to be seen as an equal not a poor little girl who had nothing and nobody – the way most people around her saw her.  
“Have you called and asked them if the offer still stands?” kick asked   
“No, but it was a few months ago and I’m sure they offered it to someone else by now” Jackie told him, shifting uncomfortably on the vinyl seat. She had never called back about the offer, because she had chosen the TV offer in Chicago instead, because Chicago was much closer to Steven and home then the college who wanted her was and at the time she had thought that meant it was a better option. She was firmly kicking herself for that now.  
“Nothing ventured nothing gained” came max’s deep calm voice from the far side of the back seat.  
“Where is it?” kick asked with the same friendly curiosity he hadn’t lost so far.  
“Um Stanford university” Jackie admitted softly  
Max and king snapped to look at her with wide surprised eyes, while kick whooped and clapped her on the shoulder  
“Now you definitely have to call!” kick crowed exuberantly.  
“Yeah, I guess I could call them and ask?” Jackie said thoughtfully, after all, what did she have to lose at this point? “But it’s really far away and I’m….scared to move that far from everything I know” she said bravely, taking a chance that these people would mock her for her fear the way her last group had, and they didn’t.  
“I get ‘dat truly I do” laughed Connor from the front; Jackie hadn’t thought he was listening until that moment.  
“Oh yeah! You aren’t from America, I always forget that” kick joked to his muscular friend.  
“Where are you from?” Jackie asked him politely  
“I came over from Ireland as a prize fighter, ended up in California crashing on max’s couch when I couldn’t fight anymore” Connor told her without the slightest trace of self-pity,   
“Yeah that’s why he’s so damn scary, you know what they called him when he was fighting?” kick asked excitedly  
“Don't fucking say it Kick!” Connor growled from the front seat  
“But it’s awesome!” kick argued  
“Connor, let him tell her it’s not that bad” king said wearily, as if she had heard this exchange more than once.  
“Fine! But only once” Connor agreed reluctantly  
“The Munster Monster!” kick told Jackie in his best announcer impression making her laugh.  
“I’m from feckin’ Kerry!” Connor grumbled angrily.  
“dude I’ve told you – we’ve all told you, nobody but the Irish know those names, it’s like how everyone who hears were from California immediately thinks we live in LA – cus it’s the only city they think is there” kick told him patiently.  
“You’re not from LA?” Jackie asked having been one of the people who assumed this very thing.  
“Nah, we live much further north, over in Berkeley” king explained  
“I don’t know the name?” Jackie said frowning while she tried to think if she’d ever heard of this place before  
“It’s in the bay area, you know like ‘Frisco and Stanford University” kick informed her with a wicked grin  
Jackie stared wide eyed at the blue haired singer “you – you guys live there?” she stammered in shock.  
“Berkeley is about an hour from Stanford, so we live near there yes” max explained softly  
“That’s incredible” Jackie breathed, could it be some weird sort of fate that she met these people at this time? Or a really amazing coincidence? Whatever it was, Jackie promised herself she would be calling the university in the morning, it had to be at least a sign she was positive.  
“What was your scholarship for anyway?” kick asked backtracking to the original point  
“Uh….” Jackie really didn’t want to say what she had been offered a scholarship for; she had been mocked and insulted for it for so long she simply couldn’t imagine the same thing not happening with this group no matter how nice they had been so far.  
“Come on tell us, we don’t make it a habit to judge people” max murmured softly to encourage her.  
“Umm, it was for cheerleading” she admitted and braced for the mocking laughter, but it never came.  
“Damn you must have been one hell of a cheerleader to get an offer from that school” kick said sounding impressed, not mocking.  
“I worked really hard” Jackie admitted,  
“so you’ll call them in the morning and turn on the charm – or cry, you know whichever gets you your scholarship back, and move out to the east bay and start a kick ass new life” kick prophesied enthusiastically for her.  
“Or maybe just call them and see what your options are?” king countered with a laugh at kicks antics.  
“Dream big or go home king!” kick yelled proudly  
King smiled fondly at the blue haired ball of energy “that’s why I love you kick” she told him without trace of jest in her voice  
“Then why won’t you date me?” he asked archly  
“Because you’re my cousin kick” king reminded him gently  
“Oh right! Were related. That’s why were so similarly awesome” kick mused like he had forgotten all about it until that second.  
King gave her cousin a confused look for a moment, then shrugged and let it go.   
“So that’s how you all know each other?” Jackie asked trying to connect the dots from what she’d heard so far.  
“Sort of, kick – or Kenneth as he used to be called, is my cousin and we grew up in the same neighborhood. Max lived next door to kick and we all hung around together off and on through school. Connor here, his mom is friends with max’s mom from college and when Connor was sent here to fight made max promise to show him around and look out for him – you can imagine max’s shock when this scary looking dude showed up? But they became friends quickly and max introduced him to all of us and the rest is history.” King told Jackie in a succinct manner that earned a few raised eyebrows from her friends.  
“You left out a detail or two there Kingsley “max told her sternly  
“We’ll cover it another time, were at the diner” king brushed off his words.  
“Diner?” Jackie choked nervously, there was only one place she could think of that could be called a diner, and she really didn’t want to go there.  
“Yeah, max is a cook there now so we can eat for free as long as we don’t exceed a certain amount” he said looking pointedly at Connor.  
“I burn a lot of calories drumming!” Connor defended irritably  
“And I burn a lot running around singing, but you don’t see me inhaling cheeseburgers like I’m about to be shot by a firing squad!” kick countered waving his arms dramatically.  
“Shut it!” king yelled at them both, then glanced at Jackie and saw the look of fear on her face. “What up?” she asked her with concern.  
“The hub is where my fri- where they all hang out, I don’t want to run into them” Jackie admitted softly, she had been having such a good time and she knew one cruel word from any of the basement group would ruin it.  
But king gave her a comforting smile “don’t worry about them Jackie, you’re here with us and I’d bet even money that none of them has the balls to give you a hard time in front of the likes of us” king told her seriously.  
Jackie had to admit king had a point, her once friends were big talkers but cowards, if any one of the scary looking punk rockers said so much as boo to them they would probably pee themselves. Well, except for Steven, he wouldn’t be afraid she knew, he was never afraid of anyone or anything and it was his words that were always the most cutting. But Jackie agreed to go inside with them, sure they wouldn’t let anything happen and also she was really damn hungry! That mosh pit thing had been tiring in a way she wasn’t accustomed to; she needed starch and protein soon.  
As the bell tinkled their arrival Jackie glanced towards the corner of the hub and felt her stomach drop, sure enough there they all sat in their preferred booth. She could see Kelso and Donna flanking a tan but bored looking Eric Forman, while fez sat across from them grinning happily at his long awaited friend. A flash of blonde alerted Jackie to Sam's presence as well and she was sure Steven was also tucked into the far corner of the booth. Trying to use the bodies of kick and max to hide her from their notice, Jackie followed along behind king and Connor to the ordering window. She heard a sudden influx of whispering, and looked around to find that nearly every person in the diner was staring blatantly at her new friends? It took Jackie a moment to realize that she had already gotten used to their odd look, but the patrons of the hub had not and were rudely staring and whispering about them. Jackie frowned at the unfairness of it and turned to speak to king, but instead looked up right into the cold pale eyes of Steven Hyde.  
Jackie was frozen on the spot and didn’t know what to do? It seemed that Hyde was similarly at a loss because he was just staring back into Jackie’s mismatched eyes with a blank expression. King was the first one to notice Jackie’s predicament and the only one to recognize Hyde and quickly intervened. Calmly placing herself between them king gently moved Jackie towards the curiously watching kick, and told them to go sit at the table with Connor and max, then turned to stare calmly at Hyde.  
“Were just here for some food, we don’t want any crap from you and your friends” king told him bluntly  
“So she’s got a new protector already huh?” Hyde snapped coldly “which one is she shacked up with? Hell I wouldn’t be surprised if it was you, she’ll do anything for attention” he said maliciously  
“Look pal, she’s not your business anymore” king informed him calmly, but with a flicker of anger in her deep blue eyes.  
Hyde smirked at the stranger “let me guess, this is where you stick up for poor little Jackie and tell me to stay away from her? Well you don’t fucking know her I do! All the shit she told you to make you hate me is 100% her own fault!” Hyde growled furiously  
King had to keep from laughing, she ran in a rough crowd and she had been up against a lot worse than this guy. She was sure he could be intimidating, but she’d faced groups of skin heads at shows, and the cops arresting her friends for the grievous act of being punks, so this curly haired guy barely registered to her. She placed herself squarely in his path and looked him straight in the eye.  
“it’s not what she told me that makes me think little of you pal, it’s what she wouldn’t say” king informed Hyde dangerously “and your right I’m going to tell you to stay the hell away from her, but it applies to all of you. The sleazy idiot who thinks he can do whatever he wants to women, the back biting bitch and you too you emotionally abusive dick! Every last one of you can keep you poison far away from my friend, we protect our own understand?” king hissed threateningly,   
That’s when Hyde saw it, the look in the punk chick’s eyes that he knew very well, he knew it because he’d seen it in his own for years – she had seen too many terrible things happen to allow an innocent kid to suffer through any of them ever. He almost wanted to laugh at the irony that they had both somehow chosen Jackie as the innocent kid they would protect, but he was too mad to laugh.  
“she’s fucking manipulating you were her poor little me routine!” he seethed at king “I should know, I fell for it too for years and all it fucking got me was cheated on and humiliated!” he snarled   
King stared back at the furious man with absolute calm, part of it came from the fact that if Connor thought for a moment king was in danger Jackie’s ex was in serious trouble, and king wasn’t a big fan of violence.  
“dude you need to step back and chill out, you get in my face much more and my friends are going to think they need to step in. now I personally don’t really care about you, but Jackie cares about you and wouldn’t want to see you get fucked up six ways from Sunday you get me?” king asked sternly.  
“I get you” Hyde admitted reluctantly, after glancing at the three not scrawny guys watching him and kings conversation closely.  
“Good, now listen to me closely and try not to interrupt cus I don’t feel much like talking to you for long. She’s a kid and she doesn’t deserve any of the hell you lot have put her through, you call her manipulative? That’s pretty normal for a lonely spoiled kid, she’s outgrown a lot of that and once she breaks away from you pathetic jerks shell grow even more. You say she cheated on you? But she didn’t “this was the point where Hyde couldn’t stay silent any longer.  
“I know she did!” he growled  
“Did you see them fucking?” king asked curiously  
“No! But I saw Kelso in a towel” he snapped defensively  
“And he’s such an upstanding guy that you knew for certain that could be the only possible explanation?” king drawled contemptuously  
Hyde glared darkly at her but didn’t respond, how could he? The myriad of stupid, sleazy and downright creepy moves Kelso had pulled over the years made it impossible to deny her point.   
“I sort of thought not” king said dryly “I’m getting bored, so let me just say this – she’s our friend, shallow spoiled princesses don’t hang around with our sort so maybe you should reevaluate your opinion of Jackie? But even when you realize how wrong and terrible – and it’s not an IF it’s a when – you all still need to leave her alone. Your group has crapped on her life long enough, she has a chance at making something of herself and until you lot can say the same your toxic” king finished with a neutral calm, and turned to leave Hyde to think over what she’d said.  
He stumbled back to the booth lost in his own head, he had gotten so used to putting Jackie in the cheating girlfriend chair, that he had forgotten how unlikely her ever doing that was. But what really had him upset was the punk chick calling him emotionally abusive; he had never been abusive to Jackie! Hyde knew abuse, 16 years with Edna had showed him the finer points of it and he knew for a fact that he had never done any of that to Jackie! How could he? She was so small and defenseless, he was a jerk but he wasn’t a monster. Sam tried to put her arm around him but Hyde shrugged it off immediately, thinking of Edna made him hate being touched, and he knew damn well why. He listened absently while Donna told Forman a long self-aggrandizing story about her work as a DJ, and found himself wondering when she had gotten so unbearable to be around? The look on Forman’s face told Hyde he was thinking the same thing.  
“What took you so long Hyde?” Eric asked looking relieved he had finally come back from the bathroom.  
“I ran into Jackie and her new friends” Hyde answered irritably  
“Jackie’s here? Where is my favorite little devil?” Forman asked fondly, looking around for Jackie’s raven hair. Hyde jerked his thumb towards the table he’d watched them lead Jackie to and watched Forman’s eyes widen slightly.  
“Whoa, when did Jackie go punk?” he asked curiously  
“Far as I can tell – yesterday” Hyde muttered  
“I know, can you believe her?” Donna said scathingly “she probably just repeated what she’d heard me say about the sex pistols to get in with them” she guessed arrogantly  
“Doubtful” Forman laughed absently  
“Oh really? Like you’d know anything about punk rockers?” Donna challenged mockingly  
Eric met donna’s eyes coolly “I know that if you go over and try to get in with them by naming one of the big three they call you a ‘tourist’, one of the other student teachers was a punk and he told me about it, you try to say you like the sex pistols, Ramones, or the clash and they know right away you’re a poser. He also told me they usually refer to themselves as just ‘punks’ not punk rockers so there’s that also” he informed his ex with a lot more courage than any of them could recall him having when it came to donna.  
“Whatever foreplay” she snorted derisively, like he could ever know more about a subject then she did!  
“And as fun as this has been, I’m going to go say hi to Jackie and go home” Forman said rising from the table  
Hyde sat up staring at him “you’re leaving already man?” he asked, he had missed Forman and didn’t want him to take off already.  
“It was a long flight and I want to see my family, I can hang out at the hub and hear lame stories anytime” Forman told Hyde bluntly, not bothering to edit his annoyance for Donna and Kelso’s benefit.  
“I’ll come with you man” Hyde said to the others surprise, and got up to follow Forman out of the hub, Sam rose too but Hyde gave her a sharp look “no Sam, I want to talk with Eric get a ride home somewhere else” he told her rudely, but she didn’t seem to care and sat back down to talk with Kelso.  
Just as he’d said he would, Eric detoured to say hello to Jackie.  
“Hey there devil” he greeted to get her attention.  
“String bean!” she cried jumping up to hug him hello “how are you? How was Africa? Did you bring me a present?” she asked in an excited rush beaming up at him while flatly ignoring Hyde who stayed silent and watched king watch him.  
“Umm, good, amazing and yes I brought you a present but I don’t have it with me, are you going to be at the basement tomorrow?” Forman asked hopefully  
Jackie glanced at Hyde with sad eyes “uh no, I don’t go there anymore sorry Eric” she said in a soft voice hoping Hyde wouldn’t hear her and say something cruel.  
He did hear her but instead of one of his usual burns gave her a wounded look “it-it’d be ok if you came by Jackie” he told her gruffly trying to hide his emotion.  
“Thanks, but I don’t want to be there” Jackie replied nervously  
“Well, then I’ll meet you somewhere and give you your present there” Forman told her to get rid of the weird awkward vibe that had sprung up around them.  
“we have a show tomorrow too your welcome to come?” kick offered helpfully, and grinned infectiously at the new comers, then jumped when king kicked him hard under the table and mouthed ‘that’s Jackie’s ex’ at him, “um except you, you can’t go because…..your sunglasses would get broken?” he tried lamely to think of a reason to rescind Hyde’s invitation.  
“Wouldn’t want that” Hyde drawled, having seen the whole exchange but going to their show would torture Jackie and somewhere on his walk from king to his table, torturing Jackie had lost its appeal?  
“Ok cool, I’ll be there with my offering to the devil” Forman joked and waved goodbye to Jackie and her new disturbing group of friends.  
He followed Hyde to the el Camino and shut the door before turning to his foster brother and asking in a stern voice  
“what the hell happened while I was gone?”


	5. chapter 5

I own nothing  
A/N hello, I wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed, it’s pretty cool. And I’d like to apologize in advance for this coming chapter, I’m sick and I get kind of spacey when I’m sick but I wanted to try anyway. If I mess it up too bad I’ll go back and fix it later if I every figure out how to do that anyway. Anyhow, let me know what you think, unless of course it sucks too badly and then I think I’d rather live in ignorance.

 

“What the hell happened while I was gone?”   
Hyde hadn’t even started the car yet when Eric demanded an explanation for what he had just seen and endured. Not only was his foster brother more withdrawn than he had ever seen before, but the majority of his close friends were not the people he had been expecting. Eric knew part of this was his own fault, he had remembered them as they had once been, to put it simply they had changed and not for the better, that much had been painfully clear.  
“I’ll explain back home” Hyde muttered, pulling onto the road towards the Forman’s home.  
“Uh-uh, nice try Hyde but you and I both know the second we get there my mom’s going to be all over me and you’ll just slip away to your little den back in the basement and avoid answering.” Eric said surely, and Hyde had to admit he was right. But Hyde had no interest in explaining himself to his oldest friend, mostly because his usual righteous indignation had kind of sort of totally left him. All he had left was the facts and kings words echoing in his head about what he had assumed back in Chicago, and you know what happens when you assume? He thought bitterly.  
“Where should I go then? No offense Forman but I’m not taking you to mount hump if it’s all the same to you” Hyde told him straight faced.  
“gee, and here I thought our relationship had moved on to the next level” Eric said in his crappy female impersonation, then glared at his friend “the water tower man, that way you’ll have to talk or you’ll freeze your nads off” Eric informed him seriously.  
“You are aware you will also be freezing your nads off as well?” Hyde pointed out with a raised eyebrow  
Eric turned and gave Hyde probably the hardest no bullshit expression he had ever seen on his friends face “do you have any idea what I had to put up with for the 20 minutes you disappeared at the hub? I don’t give a damn how cold it is, or how reluctant you are to level with me about what’s happened, I want a damn explanation for it!” Forman told him in a tone that plainly said he was not messing around. Hyde had never been intimidated by Forman, and he wasn’t now either, but he knew he owed it to his friend to do what he was asking, so reluctantly Hyde pulled off onto the road that would take them to the stupid water tower – he didn’t have a whole lot of grand memories there.  
The rungs were so cold they burned their hands as they climbed up to sit on the rickety platform; they sat in silence for a few moments while their breath clouded around them in the freezing air.  
Finally.  
“Tell me what happened Hyde? When I left you were going to propose to Jackie, I’m not even gone a year and not only are you not married to Jackie your married to a damn stripper and treating Jackie like she’s the worst person you’ve ever met! How did you ever get from point A to point B?” Eric left no room for vague answers or aloof whatever’s, Hyde was going to have to tell the truth because Eric and Jackie had one very annoying thing in common – they knew when he was lying.  
“I got to her room in Chicago, kelso was there in a towel, I turned around and left for Vegas, Sam showed up just after I got home and announced we were married while I was wasted….i didn’t want to be like bud and bail on my marriage and here we are.” He told Forman the abridged version to get him up to speed.  
“Uh-huh, I see.” Eric mused thoughtfully “my first question is – is there actually anybody, at all, in the continental US, that bought that sorry ass excuse for what you did?!” Forman finished off yelling angrily, disgust and disappointment were prominent in his usually mellow eyes.  
“That’s what happened man!” Hyde defended lamely.  
“No Hyde, I know you better than most people do, and I’m saying that is not what happened! First of all, you took kelso in a towel as Jackie cheating on you with him; this is a guy who has – more than once I might remind you – referred to himself loudly as the king of no pants. Also, Jackie can barely stand kelso anymore, or didn’t you know that?” Eric asked him bluntly  
“What are you talking about? She always has a soft spot for him! He was the first person she called when she needed a ride to Chicago to bail on me!” Hyde yelled feeling the same surge of fury so many months later.  
But Eric just shook his head a little pityingly “no he wasn’t the first, he was more like the fifth or so, first she asked my dad but he couldn’t do it, bob had an appointment, fez had to work and dear donna gave her a lecture about being immature. So she asked kelso because what the hell is he ever doing?” the information Eric gave him hit Hyde like a rock, and he knew it was the truth, not just because Jackie hated convertibles because they wrecked her hair.  
“She never chose him, all the times he tried to make it a choice between you and him, she – never –chose –him! I found out from fez that the only reason she still bothered acting like his friend after all the shit he put her through was you and donna and your stupid ‘respect the group’ bullshit, and before you say it I know I did that too, I know I called her yoko and all that, but the difference is, I feel bad about it now and see how petty and childish thinking our group should outrank a person or a real relationship, so for that I’m sorry man I should have had your back. But back to my point while I still have my nads - what was it? Were you just unhappy with her?” he tried to understand what had made Hyde cut and run so fast?  
“No, it-it wasn’t that I was unhappy…..it was….Jackie wanted all this stuff that I didn’t think I could give her and it seemed like she had figured out that I couldn’t and dropped me. Seeing kelso there, that just looked like she had truly decided the life I could offer her wasn’t what she wanted anymore. I always wondered when she was gonna get tired of roughing it and go for the easy guy, and with kelso she’d always be in charge, always get her way unless it was telling him not to fool around on her.” Hyde had never said any of this out loud; hell he hadn’t thought it too often because it made his chest hurt.  
“And the treating her so bad for this long? How do you explain that away Hyde? I’m just curious, what would you have done to someone else who talked to Jackie that way anytime in the last five years?” Forman asked bluntly.  
“you know what I would have done Forman” Hyde murmured the answer full of shame, they both knew that since the day the loud, irritating tiny brunette walked into the basement if anyone had said a tenth of what Hyde had said to her, he would have ripped them apart. Even when he couldn’t stand the sound of her voice and dreamed of the day he would be free of it, he wouldn’t tolerate her being disrespected in such a way and his clever best friend knew it- apparently always had?  
“So what are you going to do about it man?” Eric put the question to him in such a way that there was no mistake he expected an answer, and a good one at that.  
Hyde thought for a long while before finally answering “apologize to her” he stated surely  
“I think it’s gonna take more than an ‘I’m sorry I married a stripper’ to make it ok” Forman reminded him honestly  
“that’s not what I’m going to apologize for Forman” Hyde snapped “there’s nothing I could ever say to make it ok, not everybody gets the romantic happy ending like you and donna Forman, we don’t all show up and take up right where we left off simply because we came back for the girl” Hyde told him sounding a bit jealous. But Eric just stared back looking perplexed.  
“I didn’t come back for Donna Hyde” he said softly but resolute.  
Hyde was shocked, hadn’t Donna said that Eric had apologized for the letter? They were Eric and Donna – they always got back together! They were worse than the early days of Jackie and kelso for Christ’s sake!  
But all he said was “you didn’t?”  
“no” Forman replied firmly “I came home because I don’t want to be that far from my mom and dad at their age, if something happened to either of them and I was an ocean away? I’d never get over that man, so I switched to a program in Mexico, I’m only back for a month or so, maybe less the way things are going” he added grimly  
“What?! Your taking off again already?” Hyde didn’t want him to be gone again, he’d missed him more than he'd thought he would not to mention without Forman or Jackie in his life Hyde was drifting like a rudderless boat in a dark sea (analogies weren’t his strong point).  
Eric laughed a short dry laugh “my first plan was to spend a month with all my friends that I had missed so much while I was in Africa, but when I got back today I didn’t meet my friends, do you know who I met Hyde? Do you?! Let me tell you who I found in the place I had been expecting my friends. I found a half drunk pissed off guy married to a stripper that he had the balls to bring into MY parents’ house! My parents who loved you and never gave up on you were rewarded by having to share their home with a vapid, manner less stranger! Then there’s kelso, it was hard enough to put up with him and all his bullshit with MY sister, I may despise being around Laurie and I sure don’t like her as a person, but I love her, and he couldn’t stop talking about ‘doing it’ it with my sister for a damn minute! And the whole time he was doing that, he was also making us lie to Jackie for him! Oh but when she gets a different boyfriend suddenly were all supposed to have told him?! And don’t even get me started on his disgusting behavior with brook! The idiot honestly seems to think he should get a free pass no matter what he does because girls think he’s hot! Well I’m fucking done with him, and I’m done with Donna for that matter.” He told Hyde firmly and without hesitation.  
“You’re done with donna? I thought you loved her man?” Hyde spoke gently  
“I did, but I don’t any more. Hyde do you even remember all the fights and dumb problems we had?” Eric asked curiously  
“Yeah, she was always on you about something” he grinned at the hilarious memories of them fighting for the stupidest reasons.  
“No matter what I did for her she acted like I was a jerk or a chauvinist, I get her a promise ring because that’s something guys that age get for the girl they love and she acts like I’m chaining her to a drainpipe in my lair. I accidently run over her cat – who I grew up with too – and she basically calls me a murderer. But she leaves me outside a concert all night while she parties with ted Nugent and I’m a jerk for not being cool with it. Every time I said or did anything I was wrong, but I thought she would grow out of that. You know what really changed the way I saw her? The first part was when I put her on the bus for college and she came back, SHE chose to stay! But she rubbed that choice in every fucking day! And then the wedding, I know I was a coward for not showing up, but I came back and apologized I decided that even though I couldn’t stand the idea of marrying her the way she’d been treating me I wanted to give it another chance, but what did I get? Her throwing it in my face at every turn and acting like I owed her for it, and tonight when I told her I was sorry about the letter? You know what I got then? A five minute speech where she blamed me for all her bad decisions and then I was informed that she was going to college soon regardless of me coming home, I was sorry I wrote a letter instead of calling to break up with her but I don’t really see the point in telling her that”  
Hyde listened with rapt attention to his friend’s disclosure of his real feelings.  
“I’m sorry man” was all he could think to say.  
“don’t be sorry, be better” Eric charged him bluntly “ get that woman out of my parents’ house, stop drinking yourself to death, be the person I was proud to call my brother instead of whoever the hell you are right now?! I love you Hyde, but you need to accept that what you’ve done, is exactly what bud did, you ran out on a relationship where you had sworn to love and protect someone for a trashy lay and no responsibilities.” Eric didn’t like throwing that in Hyde’s face, but it killed him to see his friend this drunken, lost wreck he was now. Whether he made amends to Jackie or not wasn’t the issue, it was looking like if Hyde didn’t come back now he would be lost forever, and Eric couldn’t stand by and let that happen.  
“You’re really upset about Sam in the house?” Hyde checked curiously  
“I’m so furious that you allowed that into my home I would punch you if I thought it would make a difference” he replied coldly  
“I’m-I really am sorry Forman” he tried again to say.  
“I know but it doesn’t count until you fix it, so are you going to fix it Hyde?” it was a big question, and the answer would be a very big promise.  
“Yeah man, ill fix it. Umm, can we go home now? I think my jeans are frozen to this grate” Hyde said looking at the frost forming around them  
“Uh yeah, that is probably a good idea” Forman agreed, the smiled “look at you! Already being less of an idiot” he said with mock pride  
“Thanks man I missed you too” Hyde drawled  
“So since you’re going to apologize to Jackie for something besides the stripper – which again I don’t really get what you’re thinking there? – are you going to come to that show they invited me to?” Eric asked as they finally headed towards home.  
“Nah man, I’m gonna find the right time to apologize, besides it’s gonna take a while to make sure I cover all of it” he replied vaguely, Eric had no idea what he was really talking about frankly.

That night after watching Mrs. Forman go ten shades of crazy have her son home again, Hyde made his way down to the basement one goal in mind, it went by many names: restoring Eric’s faith in him, fixing what he had put the Forman’s through, doing what he should have months ago, or his personal favorite – kicking sams ass to the curb. He didn’t share the dirty truth about his accidental wife, but he had had to replace more than a few things she had stolen from mrs.F not to mention bob, she’d pawn them Hyde would buy them back and scream at her for what she’d done but she would be to coked out to care, it was a viscous cycle that he was glad to be breaking.  
“Sam, get your shit and go. I’m done with this” he said matter of factly  
“What are you talking about baby?” she played dumb well, likely because there wasn’t a lot of play happening.  
“I don’t want you here and I don’t want to be married to you, I know what you’ve been up to lately and I’ll be talking to the other party soon, now again – get you shit and go!” he growled, now that he’d made up his mind he was in a hurry to be done with her.  
“I want some money if you expect me to leave” she said brazenly  
“I expect you to leave because I’m going to divorce you” Hyde explained slowly  
A cold calculating smirk appeared on her usually bland face “oh, you’re so cute Hyde” she laughed “we aren’t legally married, never were. I’m already married to a guy back in Vegas” she told him like she suddenly had the upper hand  
“Good! Go! Leave! Good night and good luck!” he cried waiving her to go.  
“Not so fast, how do you think poor little Jackie will take it when she finds out you kicked her to the curb for no real reason? Oh, and you should know I’ll also tell her you knew all along it was fake” she threatened with false remorse.  
“And you think I’ll give you money to stop you saying that to her? Is that your master plan?” Hyde asked with a raised eyebrow of disbelief.  
“you can go all ‘Zen’ or whatever you call it all you want, I know you don’t want anyone finding out you got scammed honey” she smirked again.  
But the answering grin on Hyde’s face could only be called evil “oh Sam, to be embarrassed id have to have some pride left, and all that walked out the door when you walked in” he said calmly “now get your things get in your car and go back to Vegas before I let you find out how I treat ex’s who I never cared about!” he snarled dangerously.

It had been a week since Sam had driven away in a squeal of burning tires and a middle finger out the window which Hyde had cheerfully returned. And now he sat at the counter of his store staring off into space while he compiled the mental list he had been working on. There was an actual list back in his room in the basement, but he didn’t like to bring it to work. The last week had been strange for Hyde, Eric was around but wouldn’t hang out with the group at all, he would spend time with Hyde or fez or both but the minute Donna or kelso showed up, he was out the door. From what fez said Forman had been coming over to his and Jackie’s apartment a lot as well as her new friends he’d met at the hub. He still felt upset when he remembered the punk chick calling him abusive, he was positive he had NEVER abused Jackie! Except then the thought intruded that if he hadn’t why was he so worried about it?  
Just as he decided on the perfect phrasing for item #3 in his list the bell above the door chimed signaling a customer, Hyde looked up absently and balked.  
“dammit, what the hell are you doing here?” an annoyed voice asked him, it was Jackie’s friend king, her clothes and hair a lot more subdued then when he’d first met her but she still didn’t fit in.  
“Uh I own the place?” he told her a bit off guard.  
“So that’s probably a ‘no’ to me seeing if I can use the phone?” king said dryly  
“You can use it, it’s in the office” Hyde offered helpfully, and he wasn’t too sure why he wanted to get on the weird girls good side? But for whatever reason, he still led king back to his office and allowed her to use his phone.  
“It’s not private so you can keep an eye on me if you’d feel better?” king told him while she dialed the number in her hand   
“Ok?” Hyde said blankly   
“Hello, this is Kingsley McGregor, I’m calling about a series of sessions I was asked to do? Yes, yes that kingsley McGregor, yes that’s a common mistake, Monday morning at 8 am – got it, yes you have a nice day as well” she told the person politely, but her face was clearly annoyed. When she hung up the phone she began to swear.  
“Stupid woman! Naming me ‘kinglsey’ of all fucking things? One of the many reasons I hate my mom” she muttered darkly  
“You don’t like your name?” Hyde asked mildly  
“they always think I’m a guy, then I have to explain that , no I’m not my mom just thought it would be cute to give me her maiden name, believe me – it aint cute” she snapped rolling her eyes.  
“Anyway, thanks Steven for letting me use the phone” king told him politely  
“Uh, its Hyde, only Jackie calls me Steven” he told her awkwardly  
“Gotcha, anyhow thanks” she said with a shrug  
“You’re being awfully nice for someone who hates me” Hyde noted curiously  
“I don’t hate you, I don’t like how you’ve treated Jackie, but sadly I understand it even if you don’t” she admitted wryly  
“I’d like to understand it” Hyde admitted with some trouble, he didn’t like asking for help, especially from strangers  
“It’s pretty simple, broken people who don’t want to admit their broken keep others at arm’s length,” she began evenly then smiled sadly “because if they’re fighting to keep us, then they won’t leave us”  
“You too?” he asked shocked that she knew it form experience  
“My stories different, but similar. I took a good decent guy and made him doubt himself so much he did something he never would have before, and the worst part is I knew it was all my fault” she told him remorsefully  
“Would you maybe tell me about it? I’d like to figure out why I did what I did “Hyde asked desperate for understanding.  
“Sure, you got coffee back in that office?” king asked hopefully  
“Yeah but it sucks” Hyde told her honestly  
“Any port in a storm” king shrugged and sat down to tell him what she knew.


	6. chapter 6

I still own nothing; even my car belongs to a bank.  
A/N so at this point my plan is to systematically tell off each member of the group who has bothered me during the show because I think they deserve it, the last chapter was part one of Hyde’s, obviously he gets another one guess from who? But if I can pull it off, Donna and Kelso will also be told how bad they suck, and no not from the people you’d expect to do it. I see a different angle for each of them and I’m hoping its cathartic enough for me cus I really freaking hate them, sure Kelso is funny at times but mostly he’s so stupid I want to punch him in the eye. And Donna? She needs to be told off way worse than Hyde got, so that’s going to be hard so if anybody has ideas for things she needs to be told off for let me know and I’ll see if I can use them, if it helps my basic premise is that she’s a self-centered bitch who treated Jackie badly because she always thought she was better than Jackie, and go! Also I should warn that there is a lot of swearing in this chapter so heads up there.

 

Hyde took a seat near enough to king that their conversation could be private, and waited while the young woman sipped at her coffee, he smirked when she made a gagging face after her first sip.  
“Jesus man what’s in this?!” she choked and set the cup aside.  
“No idea Leo over there makes it” Hyde admitted and pointed out the old hippie to king.  
“Ya know? I was always told never to trust a hippie and I was never sure where that belief came from until now, this is fucking disgusting” she said with a laugh.  
“Sorry,” Hyde shrugged half apologetically; he had warned her it was bad after all.  
“I’ve lived through worse” king waved it away.  
“Are you going to tell me this similar story or what?” Hyde asked her bluntly, he already knew what he had done, but even while he had been doing it he was never sure why he couldn’t seem to stop? If she could shed light on it he’d be grateful, well as grateful as Hyde got.  
“Damn, someone’s impatient” king said giving him a curious look   
“I just – I want to understand” he admitted, rubbing his eyes wearily, it had been a tiring week.  
“ok, well: when I was about 18 I met this guy, and I could tell he liked me a lot right away, I liked him too but couldn’t bring myself to show it, it went against the perception of me people had back then – I was a lot more punked out and angry then and being all moony over some guy just didn’t mesh with that. But when he asked me out I said yes and I was so stupid happy, but that’s where I made my first mistake with him – I never let him see how happy I was to be with him, he had me but I was still making him chase me. There was a lot of stuff that happened that I won’t go into detail about because I don’t know or trust you, but I can give you the run down. I always made him feel like it was a fluke he was with me, made him work constantly to keep me, and what I realized later was I made him feel inadequate and useless. I ruined his confidence in himself because he began to believe that it was his fault I was so unreachable. And then my behavior ruined something else, his morals. I made him feel so useless through my actions that he cheated on me”   
Hyde stopped her there “how that could have been your fault? He should have broken up with you if he was that unhappy” he was surprised she believed it to be her fault this guy cheated.  
King gave him a small smile “you misunderstand, the cheating – the actual act of that – is on his conscience not mine, but he had never been that sort of person before, it went wildly against his character and the only reason he made the mistake he did was because of how I had treated him. When I yelled at him that he was a bastard for cheating on me, he asked me why I suddenly cared. I had never seemed to care about anything he did until then, and then he asked me ‘why shouldn’t he get to feel wanted for once? Told me that if id shown him for a second that I cared he would have done anything for me. And he was right dude, people need love and validation, we want to think we can be strong enough not to need it but that’s crap, we need for the people we care about to show that care back. I took that away from him, and it blew up in my face in the end.”  
“shit man, I’m sorry” Hyde told her shaking his head, a lot of what she had said made more sense to him then he was comfortable with “is that all that happened?” he hoped for some closure or something?  
“Oh no, it was not.” King laughed wryly “see, I had fucked him up so badly with my bullshit that he ended up treating the girl he left me for the same way. He craved feeling wanted so much after I withheld it so long, that he made this new girl chase after him the was id made him chase me. She left him in the end and I ran into him not long after, he went off on me that it was all my fault, that he had been a good guy who loved me and I ruined it and him. I couldn’t argue I couldn’t walk away and ignore him, he blamed me and I took that blame. I told him I was sorry for all of it, that I HAD cared about him but was too much of a coward to show it, I told him that he was still a good guy and that I was sorry I ever made him doubt that.”   
Hyde watched kings face turn solemn while she spoke of her past mistakes, he was amazed that she had the view of her past that she did? She looked up at him with a serious look in her eyes.  
“he and I are sort of friends now, he waited awhile before getting a new girlfriend and he truly loves this one, but he told me that whenever he doesn’t know what to do or how to act he thinks of me and does the opposite, I should probably be offended by that, but I’m actually just glad I could help, it makes it feel like I’ve made at least part of it up to him” she grinned  
“I don’t get how you can take getting cheated on and feel like it’s your fault?” Hyde said trying to wrap his head around it, to him it was black and white – cheating bad, cheater in the wrong.  
“you’re missing the point dude, I don’t condone the cheating, but in this specific instance I know for a fact that if I had let him feel just a speck of the love I truly felt for him it never would have happened because he was a good guy, who never could have done what he did if he had actually felt like we were in a relationship, but I was so unreachable he felt on his own. And I was there, I know as well as I know that midnight cowboy was a waist of my damn money that it was on me that he felt like that. Do you understand?” she asked pointedly  
Hyde stared at the floor “yeah, I get it” he murmured “have you, ya know? Learned to let people in now?” he asked hoping she had a magic way to learn to trust people.  
King stared at him like she was reading the story of his life “it helps to finally grow up” she told him bluntly “also having real friends helps a lot” she added   
“You’re saying I’m not grown up?” he asked a bit defensively  
“That’s exactly what I’m saying; you care way too much about what your crappy friend’s think, which is a fairly childish attitude. And also I’m really fucking curious what these people have on you and Jackie that both of you have the fucked up idea you owe them something? I mean, did they help you hide a body? What the fuck man?!” king asked with exasperation, going so far as to throw her hands in the air.  
“We’ve all been friends a really long time, we grew up together” he shrugged as if what he’d said explained it all  
“That’s it?” king asked flatly  
“Is that not enough?” he demanded  
“Fuck no it isn’t! She let them trample her self-esteem while making her apologize for falling for your dumbass! And you! You let these people keep you from growing up because they’d be what? Disappointed if you bettered yourself? Jackie told me about when you tried to go clean and they couldn’t handle it and basically forced a relapse so they’d be more comfortable. That’s not how friends act Hyde. Sometimes childhood friends are amazing and should be protected because they are family” she told him forcefully  
“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying!” Hyde tried to make her see  
“And sometimes they’re the kids who lived closest to you; your friends when you’re a kid are usually your friends for no greater reason than they live close. I’m going to say the same to you that I said to Jackie, there is nothing that they could have done to make you owe them this much” king told him with the sort of blunt honesty he usually got from red Forman?  
“Forman is like my brother man, so that kind of blows that whole theory” Hyde told her smugly  
“No that makes my point dude; sure he’s like your brother, but what about that sleazy idiot? What do you still have in common with that guy? And that bleach blonde bitch, you telling me she challenges you to grow as a person? To make a difference in the world? Hell, do either of them even call you on your bullshit or are they happy to let you be the worst version of yourself because if you never change then they don’t have to either?!” she accused with pin point accuracy and Hyde felt every hit. It was apparent that he had a lot of serious thinking to do about what he had kicked back and let his life become. His life goals had never been too ambitious, ‘don’t be trailer trash’ had been about the highest aspiration, and it made him sick to see that he had fallen short of that.  
“shit” Hyde swore under his breath as he accepted that what she said was true, most of his friends held him back because it kept them from having to look at themselves and their stunted life progression. He hated to think of them this way, but then he recalled their reaction to him and Jackie’s relationship. She hadn’t been with Kelso when they started up but they had still acted like he and Jackie were doing something wrong, Kelso had cheated on Jackie like it was a job but had the fucking audacity to treat Hyde like he had betrayed him! Then there was the total lack of respect they all showed him and Jackie! He had never loved a girl before, he had never really bothered having a girlfriend (funny it was Jackie that could change his mind) either, but when he finally did both instead of being happy for him and supporting it the way they had for Eric and donna, they belittled the girl he loved and laughed at their feelings for each other! Suddenly Hyde was pissed! And rightfully so. The demise of he and Jackie was his fault, he wasn’t trying to shirk the blame, but he sure as hell could blame those assholes for chipping away at its structure like a bunch of petty termites! Man, he really sucked at analogies!  
He needed to stop thinking about it before he punched through a wall or something equally destructive to expel the excess rage he was currently feeling. So he changed the subject to one that he was only mildly curious about.  
“So what’s this session you were calling about?” he asked while taking deep breath as subtly as he could.  
King gave him her pirate grin, she knew what he was doing and she didn’t mind “me and my mates are hard up for money, charming as your little ‘burg is, I don’t want to live here, and if we’re ever going to get back home were going to need more than what’s left over from max and kicks paychecks, as it stands now our ‘get home’ money is a grand total of $42. So I regrettably had to accept some session work in Chicago, I don’t like it and it also means that for a few weeks we have to cut our shows at the club down to once a week, which sucks because that was the best part of being stuck here.” She told him  
“That didn’t really answer my question, what is a session? “ Hyde asked again.  
King had the good grace to laugh at herself for answering so badly “session work, is where I go to the recording studio in Chicago and do the guitar portion of a songs for their artist that’s recording there, most singers don’t have a constant band so there’s a fair amount of session musicians that do the instrumentals for albums” king did better explaining this time around.  
“Wow, that’s pretty damn cool, even if it’s for underground bands that still awesome” Hyde told her impressed  
King gave him a slightly curious look like she was going to correct him, then shook her head and grinned. “it’s not my favorite work, but I want to do my part and seeing as how Connor still can’t get a job this is the option we have available” king shrugged  
“Why can’t your friend get a job?” Hyde asked curiously  
King laughed dryly “cus he’s scary looking” she replied  
“Which one was he? The one with the blue hair?” Hyde asked trying to remember the guys he’d seen that night at the hub.  
“Nah that was our singer kick, he bartends at the lonely arms, Connor was the burly one with the Mohawk and crooked nose” king clarified  
Hyde nodded, he could see how that particular guy could alarm the business owners of point place, but there was one he could think of that didn’t care “send him by here, I could use more help than Leo” he told king and looked fondly over at the zoned out hippie cleaning a brick wall with Windex.  
“You serious?” king asked suspiciously  
“Yeah, why not? Wait is he with Jackie?” he demanded his mouth going dry  
“Connor’s engaged dude chill out” king assured him kindly  
“Cool, I’m mean, it’s not like I care what she does” Hyde said trying to sound aloof  
“Right and I totally believe you” king drawled scathingly  
“What’s it even matter? You were pretty clear that I’m to stay away from Jackie” he reminded the slim girl whose presence was so at odds with her size.  
“that hold for while your being a malicious dick, but the final choice is Jackie’s and ill respect whatever decision she makes, of course for her to ever make a decision you’d have to make the first move and no offense, but from what I’ve heard and seen that’s not really your forte” king told him honestly  
“Well from what I’ve heard I need to grow up so maybe that’ll be part of it” Hyde told her wryly  
King laughed and gave him a somewhat warmer smile “well best of luck to you pal” then she gave him a thoughtful look “she’s my friend Hyde, she’s generous and kind and she’s hilarious. She’s not your average spoiled princess and I don’t want to see her hurt anymore. Most girls that look like Jackie run screaming from people like me and my mates, but she doesn’t and that means something to us. We are going to protect her where and when we can, we may not be perfect and she’s never going to want to be full tilt punk, but she is one of us now and we will do what we can to protect our own, loyalty is a big deal with us I’m sure you of all people can understand that right?” she asked pointedly  
“right” he agreed numbly, it was dawning on him that this was how Jackie was truly moving on, she had found the place he knew she had always yearned for a place of acceptance and caring that only he knew she had tried for in the Forman’s basement, but her efforts there were met with cruel burns and derision for everything she held dear. As happy as Hyde was for her – and he was truly – it dramatically moved up his timeline of what he wanted to tell her.  
“Look Hyde, I know you’re lost and broken, we can smell our own believe me. It’s also true that peoples core personality doesn’t really change, but from what Jackie told me your core personality is to protect others and demand equality to boil it down, the rest of it is bullshit you can drop if you want to” she advised before thanking him again for the phone and saying goodbye, claiming she had plans with the one and only Jackie.  
Hyde realized he was dangerously close to running late for lunch with W.B., and after shouting at Leo to not give anything away while he was gone, grabbed his jacket and ran out the door. He only just made it to the restaurant at the appointed time and was breathing heavily when he slid across from his father in the booth.  
“Hey son, you alright there?” WB asked frowning with concern.  
“Yeah, I was running so I wouldn’t be late” Hyde explained and drained the glass of water before him in one go.  
“Oh good, I was worried you were going to drop dead on me” WB joked with a chuckle  
They ordered lunch and spoke a bit of the store and its progress, Hyde gave his dad a silencing look when the older man asked about Sam. Then a thought occurred to him that his dad might know something he was curious about.  
“Hey dad you’ve heard of session musician’s right?” Hyde asked thoughtfully  
“Of course I have, why son? You got a hidden talent I don’t know about and need a foot in the door?” WB asked smiling.  
“Uh, I was talking to this chick today who works as one so I was curious” he shrugged  
“Who, maybe I’ve heard of them? Especially if it’s a woman, regrettably there aren’t a lot of women in the business yet” WB asked with interest, any topic outside the mandatory store discussions was welcome.  
“Uh” Hyde had to think to remember the name she’d said, since he only remembered king off hand “Kinsley McGregor” he finally said after a moment.  
Wb’s eyes widened and his face looked impressed “her I have heard of, she’s highly sought after and hard to get, my friend Bernie in Chicago told me they’ve been trying to get her to work on Stevie nicks new solo record, but she is notorious for refusing offers. Something about having her own band that is her first priority” WB told him  
“She’s a punk, why would they want a punk for Stevie nicks?” Hyde said surprised  
“And one of the best session guitarist’s around” w.b. told him seriously “when I first started in this business Steven, every last person judged me at first glance, didn’t think I could ever become what I am. Now you are a smart man and you’re not quick to judge people I’m proud of you for that. But people are always going to be much more than what you first see, and just like with this Kingsley woman or myself, you need to expect more out of people than what you first see, there’s a lot less surprises that way.” He told his son with feeling.  
“I know what you’re getting at dad” Hyde told him archly  
“it worked well for my purpose son, you need to expand your horizons, if you had already maybe a punk rocker being one of the most in demand session guitarists I’ve ever heard of wouldn’t have thrown you for a loop” he worked the conversation around to a subject they’d been going in circles about for months.  
“Maybe your right? I’ll think about it ok?” Hyde told him offhandedly, making his dad beam happily  
“That’s a hell of advancement from ‘no damn way’!” WB said happily clapping him on the shoulder.  
“Yeah well I guess it’s time I started toying with the idea of growing up” Hyde replied gruffly.

 

A/N I know this may seem like filler, but trust me theres a point to it, and also I wanted hyde to start to see how stagnant his thinking had grown from limiting himself to just the few friends he had.


	7. chapter 7

Jackie hadn’t had to endure the burns and taunts from the basement gang in weeks, and it was awesome! She had taken to her new job at the little shop like a fish to water and loved every second of it, she already had a large and ever growing following of regular customers who requested her because she never lied to them about how the clothes or outfits looked on them. They knew they could trust her and not risk buying things they would later regret. Her boss was happy with her for not only her good work ethic but the improved reputation her store was getting. It helped Jackie ease the pain of fez being away for the next several months at beauty school in Milwaukee, that and she was so proud of him she had jumped and clapped when he had told her he was going.  
She wasn’t even lonely, just as they’d said they would, king and her band took her in as one of their own even after learning she liked disco. They told her they might not agree, but why would they of all people ever insult someone’s taste in music? Every day Jackie loved the odd group more and more, they never made her feel small or stupid, and they celebrated whole heartedly with her when she made even the smallest advancement.   
“So this is what having friends is like?” she had murmured to herself during the first of these impromptu celebrations. It made her a little sad to find out just how different it was from what she had thought it was with her last group of friends.  
Who would have ever thought that king would be such a better friend than Donna had ever been? Jackie knew she wouldn’t have believed it if someone had told her this a few years before. She had stupidly thought she and Donna were best friends, but now she knew that was only in her own head. It was scary to branch out form what she had always known, and let go of the basement group. She had limited herself to them for so long, made them the focus of her life that it was a struggle everyday not to go back and take what they were willing to give. Especially with Steven, she missed him so bad she ached sometimes, but even when fez told her that he had kicked Sam out still Jackie couldn’t go back there. Just because Steven had gotten rid of the stripper didn’t mean he missed Jackie, she knew that and couldn’t allow her brain to concoct fantasies about the possibility that he missed her too.   
One thing that made her especially happy was Eric’s presence, she and he had never been close before so it came as a shock when he turned out to have similar issues with their mutual friends that she did. It was also hilarious to watch Eric and kick talk about star wars with the same rapt expressions. Even king had joined one talk when Eric had asked her if she had ever seen star wars?  
“’course I have, Han solo is badass” she’d replied with a raised fist for emphasis. And Jackie beamed at her, she was over joyed that Eric had found the easy acceptance that she had also gotten from king and the others. Although the one show Eric attended was the only one.  
“It was incredible and you guys are awesome, but this isn’t my scene” he’d admitted to them afterwards without offense. To Jackie’s relief none of her new friends seemed upset, in fact most of them seemed to have been expecting it. And it also didn’t stop Eric from becoming friends with them, on the days his mom was at work and his dad was busy (which was everyday) Eric could be found sitting around Jackie’s apartment with kick and max talking about movies and laughing at the strangest things.   
She had taken her life back and was finally happy; parts of it were still scary like Stanford for instance. She had called the university and found out that the offer hadn’t been rescinded after all, if she wanted it she could still come to school there. She had one week left of the month they’d extended her left and even though she had made her decision she hadn’t told anyone what it was yet, even king. Jackie just wasn’t sure if she could handle the reactions from everyone when she told them what she had decided, and she was sure of what those reactions would be.  
She glanced over at the couch where Eric and kick were carefully arranging comic books by artist? And noticed that Connor was clearly brooding about something? And maybe it was her long varied past with Steven, but the brooding Irishman made her want to know what was wrong? And also if maybe for once someone would actually tell her.  
“what’s up?” she asked Connor softly after moving closer to where he sat staring into space lost in his own head, she had seen this very thing so many times Jackie’s stomach began churning out of habit.  
“Just wonderin’ when kings goin’ ta be back” Connor replied sounding more irritated than curious  
“She said yesterday that she shouldn’t be too long there today” Jackie relayed the information she’d gotten already to the out of sorts drummer.  
“Sure” Connor huffed disbelievingly,  
Jackie frowned at his reaction, she had never seen this sort of behavior – well she had seen it, but never from these people and it worried her. She glanced over to max and gave a start when she saw his dark eyes already on her and Connor?  
“She’s doing it for us Connor, you know that” max stated calmly  
“Sure you keep on thinkin’ that” Connor grumbled uncharacteristically bitchy with his closest friend. Jackie looked questioningly at max who shook his head at her to say she should leave Connor be for now.  
So Jackie went to her favorite chair, an over-stuffed purple arm chair that she could lay down across if she felt like it and painted her nails to relieve her boredom. She had almost finished the pink and black stripes she’d been toying with which she knew she would remove as soon as she was done, when the door finally opened with king walking through looking tired and annoyed, her rarely used acoustic guitar over her shoulder.  
“How was work?” Jackie asked brightly  
King smiled slightly at Jackie’s usual good mood, something she truly appreciated about the younger girl, and sat wearily on the floor in front of Jackie’s chair, partly because the only other open seat was next to Connor and Jackie had noticed that king avoided casual contact with him, and partly because Jackie and king had a deal – king would allow Jackie to play stylist on her hair (much to the joy of Jackie’s heart) if Jackie tried to trust that king was not going to suddenly turn on her. To say that Jackie had some trust issues after everything she’d been through would be putting it mildly. So every day when she was too tired to care anyhow, king would sit patiently while Jackie brushed and styled her messy hair as much as the shoulder length would allow her. Today while Jackie smiled happily as she smoothed the tangled wreck that was king’s usual look, king unusually took out her guitar and apparently practiced one of the pieces she’d been hired to play.  
It made Jackie stop and stare to hear king play something so pretty so well, she couldn’t suppress the proud smile on her face, and Jackie always, ALWAYS had the highest opinion of any of her friend’s abilities. Back when Donna had started writing and shown Jackie, Jackie had told her she would someday be as famous as Agatha Christie! Which donna had rolled her eyes and responded ‘you think all I’m capable of is writing formula who done it stories?’ she had acted as if Jackie was insulting her, but really Jackie had thought that was a great compliment, she had thought everyone loved mysteries back then and had even tried to sight a female author to make donna happy, it was one of her early failures with donna but it wasn’t her last.  
“Are you don’t back there already kid?” king asked curiously when Jackie had stopped her usual ministrations  
“Huh? Oh, no I just got distracted, I didn’t know you could play music like that” Jackie explained sounding awed.  
“I can play lots of stuff” king shrugged humbly, and went back to softly practicing the music, when kick came over and sat on the arm of Jackie’s chair with an impish look on his face.  
“Hey Jackie” he began normally “guess how many instruments king can play?” he asked non-chalantly  
“Knock it off kick” king snapped without looking up from her guitar.  
But Jackie wanted to answer “two” she guessed confidently, but kicks grin widened and she knew she was wrong “how many?” she asked curiously  
“Nine” kick informed her with a smirk at king.  
“Nine?! That’s incredible” Jackie said shocked and amazed.  
“It’s no big deal” king grumbled her cheeks noticeably redder from the topic.  
“Now don’t be so modest king” Connor said with a strange bitterness to his voice “shouldn’t you tell your friend there all about you?” he asked challengingly  
Jackie was always curious about people especially her friends, but if she had learned anything in her life it was that pushing to know things never worked out for her, and she didn’t want to learn more about her king when she didn’t offer it willingly.  
“She doesn’t owe me anything” Jackie told Connor softly  
“No of course not, she don’t owe you and I guess she don’t owe us either” Connor snapped “that’s how it is with – what is it they called you when you were a kid Kingsley? A musical prodigy?” he asked getting angrier by the second.   
Jackie looked at king in awe but found her staring at the brown carpet looking tense and ashamed?  
“it’s true Jackie” Connor went on in the same angry tone “they put her in some special school when her parents found out, she could do more than people three times her age. But she left when she was 17, ran away to her cousin’s house and hid from it all. Got into the punk scene and even got herself to believe she was truly one of them, even went so far as to form a band!” he was almost yelling now and his tone was accusing.  
“I AM one of you!” king growled at him furiously  
“Then why did Katy tell me today that you accepted a job on a tour?!” he yelled at king with an anger Jackie recognized as being the result of being wounded.  
“That’s bullshit” king spat back  
“Really? You think I really believe that my fiancé would lie about it instead of the truth which is you know your better than us and you’ve finally chosen to show it?!” he asked her so angrily that his face had gone red.  
“I’ve never thought or acted like I was better than you guys!” king screamed getting to her feet to stare down at Conner, who also jumped up.  
“Katy fucking told me you were offered a tour and that you accepted it!” Connor repeated again.  
“Well she’s wrong! I turned down the tour because you guys are more important!” king yelled back  
“Don’t fucking lie to me king! Katy warned me that you’d get bored playing our kind of music and take one of those damn offers but I said ‘no way, kings a true believer’ I should have fucking listened to her!” he bellowed frighteningly.  
“After six years knowing me you actually believe id do that?” king asked looking unbelievably hurt by Connors words.  
“I know Katy didn’t want to spend her wedding savings on a ticket to get me home, but she did because she knows for a fact from her boss who set up the tour that you took the damn job!” Connor informed her livid with indignation and betrayal.  
King stared at him her eyes wild and opened her mouth to retort, but snapped it closed and strode without another word out the door, slamming it in her wake.  
Connor stared after where she had disappeared breathing heavy and jaw clenched, finally he forced himself to look away and meet the unimpressed looks from his other band mates.  
“What?!” Connor asked them shortly  
“That was masterful” kick drawled contemptuously   
“I agree you’re a fucking master of being an imbecile” max chimed in scathingly  
“Aren’t either of you pissed she’s bailing on us to go be famous?” Connor demanded still worked up.  
“Um, no. are you max?” kick asked conversationally of the enigmatic bass player.  
“Not remotely, want to know why Connor?” he asked calmly  
“Yes actually” Connor answered through gritted teeth  
“because I am aware, as is kick, that not only did king definitely turn down the offer you spoke of, but also that your fiancé Katy happens to hate king and this is not her first attempt to get you away from her and us” max informed him with a calm severity that added weight to what he said.  
“Katy doesn’t hate king, she’s always saying how much she admires her talent” Connor argued looking confused that they could have ever gotten that idea.  
“No their right, I know that move, and only the bitchiest of bitches can pull it off” Jackie told Connor while nodding her head surely.  
“Move? What move?” Eric asked with interest, he hadn’t wanted to get involved until now, but he knew that Jackie knew the methods of evil bitchy women better than anyone seeing as how she had been their queen for many years.  
“It’s an old one actually, and I never had much use for it personally cus I was never in the position where it’s used. See, what you do is if your boyfriend has a close friend that’s a girl you go out of your way to say nice things to them and make it look like you really want to be friends, but only in front of your boyfriend, when he’s not around or paying attention you say a bunch of passive aggressive things to the female friend, not ever enough for her to be able to tell the boyfriend about but enough that the female friend doesn’t like you, then when you have the boyfriend convinced you think his female friend is amazing – you go for the kill, you make up a story that pits him against his friend for instance ‘ she said I wasn’t good enough for you because I’m fat’ or something, then you watch him defend you while she denies it and he thinks more and more that she’s not who he thought because why would poor sweet innocent little you ever lie to him? Then Bing bam boom – no more female friend to worry about” Jackie laid out the exact fight they’d just seen with such a frightening synopsis of its purpose that all four men could only gape in awe at her incredible knowledge.  
“That’s incredible, how did you know that so easily?” kick asked in a reverent voice  
“oh I’ve seen more manipulative tactics than you’d believe, but this Katy girl is an amateur and she didn’t take a few key elements into consideration, sure she couldn’t have known someone with my talents would be here to explain what she’d done, but her real mistake was underestimating you and kick as well as the friendship between all four of you” Jackie told them confidently, this was a subject she knew and she had no doubt at all that what she said was right.  
“But even if what your saying is true and I don’t know that I believe you? But why would Katy do all that to get rid of king? She’s just my friend” Connor asked confused and lost.  
“Ok first of all lucky charms – you do believe me, because I’m right and your smart enough to know the truth when it’s smacking you in the face!” Jackie cried indignantly with her hands on her hips, it was so similar to the old Jackie that Eric smiled widely while being silently grateful she had finally chosen to use her powers for good instead of evil, like Darth Vader.   
“and secondly, no, she’s not just your friend, the only reason a girl uses the ‘about face’ is because they see how much their boyfriend cares about another girl and know that if they don’t do something about said girl they will lose the boy in question to the girl. Go ahead and call this ‘Katy’ and tell her sadly that king got mad at you and left, I bet you my shampoo and my car that she’ll say something along the lines of ‘oh honey I’m so sorry! I didn’t want to tell you about what she did but I love you so much I had to, but don’t let it upset you, you don’t need her, I never wanted to tell you before but king has always been mean to me because she’s jealous of – fill in the blank” Jackie said in a falsely comforting tone.  
Eric and kick began clapping slowly when Jackie finished “the devil is back my friends!” Eric cheered “yeah that bitch is going down!” kick added excitedly.  
“Make that call Connor” max ordered his friend darkly, Connor did as max said and dialed the long distance number after Jackie waved off his worry about the cost.  
“Hey Katy, I just confronted king with what you told me and she got pissed and left without a word, are you sure she really took that job behind our backs? It really doesn’t sound like king” he began hopefully.  
They were all crowded around Connor – literally hanging on him to hear what Katy told him and if Jackie was right. An overly sweet voice met their eavesdropping ears.  
“Oh baby I’m so sorry! I didn’t want to be the one to tell you your friend wasn’t being honest with you, but I just hate seeing you lied to so much! But if you think about it it’s better to find out this way instead of letting her get away with lying to you” Katy told Connor with a similarly fake concern to Jackie’s impression. Jackie was smacking Connor on the arm triumphantly and giving him a ‘see I was right!’ look. The color had drained out of Connors face as the truth of what he’d said to king began to set in.  
“Katy I can’t believe king would do that to me or the guys” he said weakly  
“I know its hard baby, but I hate to be the one to tell you this - Kingsley isn’t who you think she is, before you left on tour remember we all went out to dinner? When you went to the bathroom I asked her to take care of you on the road and she-she laughed and said she was going to personally find girls for you so you’d break up with me cus I’m a bitch” she fake sobbed the ludicrous story into the receiver, Jackie looked up to see Connors face angry and his hand that held the phone turning white. He glanced down at Jackie and his eyes told her he didn’t know what to do now?   
“It’s her or them Connor, choose who makes you happiest” Jackie whispered encouragingly. Connor wasn’t like she was, he didn’t need to break away from toxic friendships to enjoy life and feel worthwhile, his friends were the family Jackie had always tried to be with the basement gang that was something to cherish.  
“Katy, that’s enough. Look, I’m sorry but I just don’t believe you. I’ve known king for six years and she’s never been anything but honest with me, now do me the courtesy of telling me the truth” he said coldly  
There was a pause on the other end, which made Jackie smirk and mouth to Connor “she’s working up another story” he nodded agreement and then they heard the single phoniest sob they had ever heard.  
“She wanted to take you from meeeee! I couldn’t lose you!” Katy wailed unconvincingly and so loud that Connor had to hold the phone well away from them all.  
“Look Katy, I’m done. The engagements off keep the ring, and don’t ever try to lie about my friends again” Connor told her in a dangerously calm voice.  
“But Connor!” she cried  
“No! I said I’m done and I mean it, you push me or bother me now or in the future and I’ll tell your boss you messed with one of his best musicians and a secretary is a lot easier to replace than a Kingsley Macgregor Katy so do yourself a favor and move on” he snapped then slammed down the receiver onto the cradle with a satisfying crash.  
“That looked fun I wanna try!” kick yelled excitedly and repeated crashing down the phone then grinned “it was everything I hoped it would be!” he laughed  
Max shrugged and he too slammed the phone down with a ghost of a grin.  
“You know, maybe I should have broken up with Donna over the phone? That looked so satisfying and final” Eric said thoughtfully staring at the phone, until kick picked it up and handed it to him with a wide grin, which Eric returned as he took it.  
“Donna, you treat me and people I care about badly, you act like your better than everybody and I don’t want to spend my life with someone like that! Oh and you can’t be a feminist and still go by the radio name hot Donna, that makes you’re a hypocrite! Were done!” he yelled into the dial tone and slammed the phone down into the cradle then smiled beatifically at them “that was amazing” he stated seriously  
“Jackie you want a go?” Connor asked sheepishly, he had a lot of apologizing to do to all of them after the way he acted; Jackie smiled warmly at him and took the phone from his big hand  
“Eric’s too good for you Donna! And you don’t deserve to be a Forman!” she yelled and took her turn slamming the poor phone into the cradle.  
“Shouldn’t you have yelled at Hyde?” Eric asked raising a curious eyebrow at her choice of words,  
“No, for all the terrible things Steven did to me, there were a lot of good things too. Donna on the other hand made me feel like an inch high ball of dirt for years, it’s her I’m totally done with.” Jackie explained, and then looked at the others with alarm. “We need to find king!” she reminded them looking panicked.  
“she’s right” max agreed and headed for the counter where he’d left the keys but turned back to them all with a worried look “she took the car, and you know what king does when she get really upset” he said ominously  
“What does she do?” Jackie asked in a small worried voice  
“She gets fucking hammered” kick informed her with a hard look on his face  
“she-she wouldn’t drive after drinking a lot, would she?” Jackie asked for reassurance that kings life wasn’t in too much danger  
“there’s really no saying what she’ll do Jackie, it’s been years since she had an episode but I wish I was more surprised that Connor was the catalyst” max said shaking his head  
“Me? Why me?” Connor asked blankly  
“Cus she’s in love with you – you stupid Irish ass!” max shouted which surprised them all.  
“We need to find her” kick reminded them of the gravity of their current situation   
“We don’t have a car” max hissed at him losing his ever present cool in the face of king coming to harm.  
“I know someone who has a car, nothing to do and knows every dive bar suitable for drowning anger and sorrow in while being left alone” Eric said picking up the phone again.  
“Who?” kick asked him blankly  
“He won’t help foreman” Jackie said sadly, she was already worried and didn’t want this adding to it.  
“Yes he wills Jackie, he owes me and you and it’s not like he’ll be busy” Eric muttered absently as he dialed.  
Hyde sat on the couch in the basement with a yellow legal pad on his knee which he was staring at with deep concentration, it was coming along but not nearly fast enough. He was just about to put pencil to paper again when the phone on the table beside him rang. When it became obvious that Mrs. Forman wasn’t answering Hyde reluctantly picked up.  
“Forman residence” he said distractedly, still staring at his note pad  
“Hyde I need you to come over to Jackie’s and pick all of us up” Eric told him quickly  
“What? Who’s all of you? And why do you need a ride at almost 8 at night?” Hyde asked surprised at the nature of the call.  
“I’ll explain when you get here, now please hurry its important and don’t gripe either you owe me man” Eric said curtly before hanging up the phone, clearly he expected Hyde to drop everything and come help with whatever it was going on? But Eric was right, he did owe him. So grudgingly Hyde shoved the paper he’d been working on (the master copy at least) into his jeans pocket and walked out of the basement.   
It was a short drive so barely five minutes later Hyde pulled up to the curb in front of Jackie’s building, he frowned when he saw that there were five people standing on the side walk waiting for him?  
“What’s going on? Why do you all look so freaked out?” Hyde asked after they had piled into the car.  
“We need to find Kingsley” Jackie said breathlessly from the depths of her winter coat.  
“I don’t follow, the scary chick is missing, why not call the cops?” Hyde asked not understanding why he had been called?  
“because Hyde, she does this thing where when she gets pissed and upset, instead of dealing with the issue or working through it she goes and gets drop dead drunk until she doesn’t feel anything anymore” max told him with a heavy heart. His always grave expression etched with worry   
“Sound familiar?” Eric asked quietly giving him a sad look.  
“It rings a bell, does she have a bar she usually goes to?” he asked anyone who might know the answer.  
“She wouldn’t go to the bar I work at, that’s all I know” kick told him worriedly  
“There’s a place nearby that she might have seen and stopped at, it’s got a certain vibe she might have been looking for” Hyde told them, hoping he was right. In the end he had ended up liking the brash fearless woman and didn’t want to see harm come to her, the worried look on Jackie’s face was also troubling him, but he didn’t want to admit to that just yet.  
He heard a collective sigh of relief when he pulled into the rusty hooks parking area and they spotted the car king had taken.   
“Dude your my hero” kick told him gratefully and followed the others out of the car to retrieve their friend.  
The atmosphere inside was not pleasant, but Hyde was used to it and went straight to the bar to ask where king was.  
“Weird looking girl, crazy hair?” the bar keeper Lewis asked Hyde when he said they were looking for a friend of theirs that wouldn’t fit in.   
“Yeah that sounds like her, where is she?” Hyde asked in his no nonsense tone reserved for emergencies, and the way Jackie was biting her lip with wide eyes, qualified.  
“In the back by the pool tables with a few of the regulars” Lewis told him, jerking his thumb behind him towards the back of the bar.   
The six of them headed that way without another word, and sure enough there was king, leaning on a guy Hyde knew was bad news, and she was very obviously drunk. From the shocked looks on her friends faces Hyde knew that it was out of the ordinary for king to be hanging on a man she’d just met, especially the way she was. He was about to go to the table and get her to leave with them when he saw Connor already on his way to the table king sat at with her new friend – the ex-prize fighter looked scarier then he usually did as he neared them.  
“King, it’s time to go” he said calmly  
“Nope, don’t want to. See, this is my new friend….i don’t remember but it think it started with a k?” she said giving the guy a bleary eyed questioning look.  
“AN R, my names rick” he offered grinning at the drunk and pretty girl using his shoulder to stay upright.  
“Eh, same alphabet” king shrugged untroubled by the mistake “anyway rick with a k here, is my new friend. Cus he doesn’t accuse me of nasty shit I never did, so I’m going to stay with him, so shoo” she said waving Connor to be on his way.  
“king come on, it’s time to go, I’m sorry I said what I did and we’ll talk about it tomorrow when you’re feeling better” Connor tried again to get her to leave peacefully, but Hyde could tell by the look in his eyes that he would be taking king out of the sketchy bar and back where she was safe whether she liked it or not, Hyde liked this one he realized and nodded approvingly at Connors actions.  
“Please king” Jackie pleaded softly, trying to get king to leave without a fuss. It was a hard situation for Jackie after all the times her mother had had to be dragged out of sleazier bars, but she refused to leave her friend alone.  
“no, I told you already I’m staying here with this guy who doesn’t call me a liar or throw my past in my face” king told her stubbornly.  
That was about the point where Connor reached the end of his patience; he closed the distance between him and king and carefully took her by the arm to make her leave. Hyde watched as the whole thing went from bad to worse. King yelled at Connor and tried to pull away, Connor yelled back that she could scream at him all she wanted later but right now they needed to go. Then to everyone’s horror, rick with a k decided to jump in and shove Connor away, and then foolishly made a vile comment about what he could give king that Connor couldn’t and in another move so stupid Hyde wondered if maybe rick was a Kelso? He threw a wild drunken punch at Connor – whose composure snapped then. The rest of them watched in a mixture of horror and awe as Connor showed what years of intense training could do, so fast they couldn’t easily follow the movements, Connor blocked then punched, then punched again and rick was laying on the floor out cold and Connor was once again arguing with king who was so drunk she couldn’t stand on her own and was having more than a little trouble making a sentence match the beginning when she reached the end.   
She yelled and struggled against Connor all the way out of the bar, she only stopped outside so she could empty her stomach on the dirty pavement. Connor crouched beside her and held her hair out of the way; when she was done he helped her to the car with a pained look on his face. She threw another tantrum at the car and it took more patience than Hyde could imagine having for Connor to finally get her to sit down. The whole way home king babbled, and in the end had to be carried up to Jackie’s apartment, where they put her in fez’s empty room with Connor and max watching over her. Eric and kick volunteered to go back out and get dinner for everyone, leaving Jackie and Hyde alone for the first time in a long time.  
They sat awkwardly across from each other at the table without speaking or looking at each other even. Jackie was worried about king, and Hyde had something weighing on his mind, it was him who broke the silence in the end.  
“That was pretty intense back there” he noted quietly,  
“Yeah” Jackie agreed her voice muted  
“All of you looked pretty scared and worried when you found her that drunk, acting belligerent” he went on,   
“You noticed that did you?” Jackie asked irritably glaring at the table to avoid getting into a pointless argument with him that would only end up hurting her.  
“Yeah and it made me wonder….well, it got me thinking actually, was it…” he took off his glasses to rub his eyes and when he opened them again Jackie was staring at him curious for him to continue.  
“Was it what?” she asked softly  
Hyde let out a deep breath and looked at his hands folded on the table “was it that bad to watch me when I got too drunk – or drunk at all I guess?” he finally got out, and after what seemed like an eternity of silence forced himself to look up into Jackie’s mismatched eyes, expecting them to be hard and angry the way he deserved them to be, but instead he found them sad but warm.  
“Yes, yes it was Steven. It still is to be perfectly honest” she told him in a low sad voice that broke his heart.  
“I’d um, I’d like to talk to you about some stuff, if you’d be up for it that is?” he asked Jackie hesitantly, he was more than aware that she didn’t owe him a Nano second of her time, as well as that there was no real reason for her to trust him at all.  
“If you want to call me names and insult my life I’d rather not schedule it, that’d make it sadder” Jackie told him blankly  
“No man, I need to tell you some things not call you names or anything like that” Hyde assured her, but Jackie ignored him. “Jackie please, just hear me out for ten minutes, I know I’m a bastard that doesn’t deserve a glance from you after all the shit I said and did, but for all the stuff I did that wasn’t mean or cruel and for the times that you knew better than you knew anything else that I’d be there for you, for that please just let me read this paper to you somewhere private so I don’t look like a total pansy in front of dudes I don’t know” he pleaded honestly.  
Jackie stared at him and for the first time in a long, long time she saw the smallest glimmer of the boy who had once driven her home from school in the middle of the day because she had the flu, the boy who looked out for her and helped her be strong, she was still pissed as hell at him though, and before she could stop herself she had blurted out her big secret.  
“I’m going to Stanford in two months” she told him in a rush.


	8. chapter 8

Disclaimer – I own nothing  
A/N I’m curious to know what anyone thinks about the last few chapters? Unless it’s mean and then I don’t want to. I’m not sure how long this story is going to go on, but awhile longer that’s for sure. I have a sort of ending in mind but who knows if that’s what will end up happening? Anyhow, let me know what you think cus it’s cool to read what people say about it.

“I’m going to Stanford in two months”   
Hyde stared at her after her short outburst stunned into silence for several heartbeats.  
“Like, the college?” he finally said something and shuddered at how stupid it came out.  
“The university actually” Jackie corrected him; he noticed she was tense and worrying at her fingers the way she did when she was very nervous?  
That’s when Hyde realized she was bracing for him to comment cruelly on what she’d said, but frankly, he just didn’t have it in him anymore. It had affected him deeply to see them all looking worried and sad while one of their own was out of control and not herself because of drinking far too much, it hit a little too close to home for Hyde’s comfort and he knew without a doubt that he had put the handful of people he loved and cared about through exactly the same thing several times. It sounded like this was a rare and drastic response on king’s part, but he knew it wasn’t with himself; he had been drowning the pain he felt for years under the pretense of being young and wanting to party. One look from Forman had told Hyde that he at least, always knew that Hyde was drinking to a dangerous place. He’d known for a while that it was getting out of hand, but having a spectator view of what he often put the Forman’s through was eye opening. It wasn’t going to be easy, but Hyde was adamant in his own mind that his days of reckless drunkenness were at an end.   
But that was a problem for later, right now he needed to tell Jackie what he had been working on since the night Forman got back from Africa, but first he had to get Jackie to relax enough to really listen to him, he almost suggested a circle, but thought better of it. No, if he wanted Jackie to listen and hear what he needed to tell her, it was probably best if he didn’t start rambling about cars that ran on water.  
“That’s awesome jacks, I’m- I’m really proud of you” he said at last, doing his best to keep the sadness out of his voice for her sake.  
“Whatever” Jackie replied, she didn’t believe him and he really couldn’t blame her.  
Hyde took a deep breath, he was determined to do this and wasn’t going to let Jackie’s justifiable hatred of him stop him this time.  
“Will you listen to what I want to say to you?” he asked her softly  
Those big blue and green eyes looked up at him apprehensively, he could almost see the wheels in her mind turning as she fought with herself, she had always been his biggest champion and that was a hard habit to break for her, but at the same time she just couldn’t handle another round of his cruel words and groundless accusations. Jackie didn’t know what to do?  
“I’m pretty sure I’ve already heard what you want to say to me Hyde” she murmured defensively  
“Yeah, um, this is a lot different than all that stupid shit I kept saying to you” he tried to explain.  
Jackie gave him a hard look and he could almost feel her anger at him rolling of her tiny body “just because your nasty pseudo wife is gone, doesn’t mean I’m going to let you trick me into your bullshit again” she told him flatly.  
“I’m not sure I even understand what that meant?” Hyde told her after thinking over her words a few times.  
“It meant that…..yeah, I’m not sure what I was saying either” Jackie admitted ruefully “basically, just because you might have seen the light about her doesn’t mean I’m willing to forget everything” she tried again to stand her ground.  
“That wasn’t why I want to talk to you Jackie, there are some things I need you to know before I – um, before you move away” he told her honestly, and Jackie could always tell when he was being sincere.  
“If this is a trick Steven I swear to god ill make your shins look like a Jackson Pollok!” Jackie vowed dangerously  
“No trick jacks, I just want to tell you some things, I don’t know if you’ll like them or not but do this last thing for me before you go” he asked humbly  
Jackie assessed him with narrowed eyes for a few moments before nodding shortly and gesturing to her room where he wouldn’t have to deal with an audience, Hyde was never good with sharing in front of a group.  
Jackie sat down on her bed and watched Hyde nervously stand in front of her while he fished a worn piece of paper out of his pocket and sit cross legged on the floor.  
“This is the first draft so I might have to explain stuff, the one where I had it all worked out is back home” he told her awkwardly, and smoothed out the well-worn paper. She watched him as he took a calming breath and began to read off of the paper.  
“I’m sorry I acted like we weren’t friends back when you first started hanging around, I did think you were loud and annoying, but I also thought you were funny and cute and I liked when you came over because it livened up the basement” he read off to her with a ghost of a smile when he remembered very young and very abrasive Jackie.  
“I’m sorry that I didn’t do more to stop you from getting back with Kelso the first time you guys broke up, I knew then that it’d become a habit and I always knew he’d keep fucking up and hurting you, I think I started to hate him then, but I held onto some stupid idea of sticking by your friends, but it was you I should have stuck by, and for that I’m so sorry jacks.   
I’m sorry that I ever let you feel inferior to Donna in any way, you were always more vibrant and amazing than she had ever been, and I wish I’d had the balls to call her out on the way she acted.  
I’m sorry that I chickened out at that ski cabin and didn’t tell you I liked you, instead I made that dumb move on donna cus I thought she was the type of chick I was supposed to be with cus we were so alike, and that you were too cute and innocent to ever like a guy like me. I’m sorry I was too stupid to know that being with someone just like you sucks because it’s like you’re talking to yourself and that’s fucking boring, you were never boring jacks, and I had a crush on you for years before we got together.  
I’m sorry that I let you lie to me on veterans day, I knew it and almost called you on it, but I didn’t because at the time I wasn’t ready for you. I knew I wasn’t ready for us doll, I knew with you there was no half way, no casual, it was going to be full tilt all or nothing from the start and that scared me then, you’d been a constant in my head for so long I was sure it’d be forever as soon as you said the word and that scared the hell out of me so I let you lie about not feeling anything even though I could see it in your eyes that you wanted to be with me but were too scared to say it first.   
I’m sorry I never stuck up for you enough, you didn’t deserve most of what everybody said to you even when you were dishing it out, you were my friend and I should have stuck up for you.  
I’m sorry you never realized how important of a friend you were to me, but you were I always knew I could count on you for the truth and I knew you were the only one who could understand what it was like to have shitty parents. I used to get so mad when donna would complain about bob and midge because even when midge left she still had bob, who is one of the sweetest guys around and she still found reasons to complain and act like she was the only person who had ever felt that pain. I should have made her see that you and I had been dealing with a lot worse for most of our lives. I should have made it more obvious we were a team.  
I’m sorry I was too much of a coward to let people see how much you meant to me unless it was under cover of burning Kelso, I took you to prom because you wanted to go not because you cried, I helped you make the list of everything Kelso owed you because I wanted him to see just how out of his league you were, and I taught you Zen because I never wanted you to be defenseless.  
I’m sorry I never wanted to grow up, I was scared and I know that now, you don’t know how amazing you are that you weren’t afraid to be a grown up, I’m still scared of it but I’m trying now.  
I’m sorry that I didn’t do more to make Kelso back off of both of us, I shouldn’t have let him think for a damn second he had a right to be pissed at either of us! I let everyone make me feel like I owed him an explanation and I didn’t – neither of us did! He hurt you a lot and then bailed on you, you were my friend and one of my favorite people and I let the guilt I felt for being happy he was out of your life make me think I was guilty for falling for you. I never regretted falling in love with you doll, it was weird and scary and confusing, but if anyone was going to change my life I wanted it to be you.  
I’m sorry that I never trusted that you could possibly want me the way I wanted you, and it wasn’t because I grew up poor and you were rich, it was because you had a zest for living life and I just wanted to avoid as much hassle as I could. But I want you to know that when we were together, I was happy.  
This one is one you probably aren’t going to like but bear with me ok? I’m sorry that I said I didn’t see a future with you, I’d seen you in my future since I was 15. From the moment I met you I knew that you would always be in my life somehow, you and me jack’s – were connected in a way I don’t really get but I know it’s true. I could find you in a crowd just by hearing you laugh, if 20 years from now we haven’t spoken again and I run into you at a store, I’m going to light up just the same as I do now when I see you walking down the street when I’m driving home. You are my single favorite person in the world jacks and just knowing you’re out there makes me happy. I said what I said, because I couldn’t promise you the future you wanted and I was a scared stupid immature asshole who didn’t want to risk letting you down – which I realized too late, hurt you and let you down. But I want you to know that no matter where you are or who you’re with or what you’re doing, if you call me at 3 am to tell me about your new nail polish I’ll take the call because I love knowing you and I want you to always know I’m out there for you.”  
“Steven, I don’t know what to say?” Jackie murmured looking awe struck at what he was telling her  
“Don’t say anything yet, I’m not done and this is fucking hard man” he told her honestly  
“How much more is there?” Jackie questioned surprised Steven of all people had more to say.  
“Some give me a second to find my place” he mumbled while scanning down his paper.  
“Ok here it is: I’m sorry for Chicago for more reasons than you would think, yeah I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions again and run off, and we all know I was a moron for that. But the part I need you to know I’m sorry for is that I left you there with Kelso, even if my crazy assumption that you were with him again had been true I had vowed to myself before we were ever together that I was never going to let you go back to him again! He never deserved you and he never treated you with respect, you were my friend jacks and even if you were done with me I never wanted you to settle for that jerk again. I should have stayed to hear you out, but even if you had told me we were over, I should have stayed to kick him out.  
I know your expecting me to include the nurse and Sam in here, but there’s no amount of sorry for what I did there, there’s no excuse that makes any of that hell any less terrible, I am sorry of course, but those two are so bad words don’t cover it, but I want you to know that I’ll make it up to you someday, even if you never speak to me again I’m going to make it up to you by being the person you always thought I could be.  
I’m sorry – oh this one doesn’t make sense now” Hyde said to himself when he started reading one of the last entries.  
“Read it anyway” Jackie commanded in a choked whisper, she was more affected by what he was saying than she ever dreamed she could be, that he had cherished their odd friendship as much as she had and was focusing on that rather than their failed relationship touched Jackie’s very soul.  
“It doesn’t really apply now doll” he tried to evade reading it now for some reason Jackie couldn’t fathom  
“Now Steven” she ordered flatly, she wanted to know whatever it was he didn’t want to say.  
“fine” he grumbled and cleared his throat “I’m sorry I’m leaving point place while you’re still here, I never wanted to leave you alone again and I’m so, so sorry that I’m breaking that promise, but I’m tired of being a burn out in a basement who does just enough to get by, I’m going away and hopefully where I’m going I’ll finally grow up and become a person you would want as a friend again, I was once upon a time and then you kept growing while I stalled out, I’m taking the breaks off now.  
“You’re leaving?!” Jackie shrieked accusingly  
“Please save your questions for the end, thank you” he told her pointedly and resumed his narrative.  
“I’m sorry for the way I’ve been treating you since Chicago, I wish I could say it was my way of forcing you to move on, I wish I could say I did it to protect you from Sam if she thought I still cared, I wish I could claim some sort of decent reason for it, but I cant. The reason – the real reason I said all those terrible things to you was for no better reason than I was mad at myself and wanted to make it your fault so I didn’t feel so bad, and also that I was almost always drunk cus I’m a fucking pussy who couldn’t cope without getting wasted and I’m a son of a bitch when I’m drunk. So that’s it, I’m a pathetic alcoholic who couldn’t handle id fucked up my life, lost the only woman id ever loved and ruined a friendship that had kept me going for a lot of years.  
And finally, I’m sorry that I stole your flower barrette in fourth grade”  
“That was you?!” Jackie asked shocked  
Hyde grinned sheepishly “yeah it was me, I saw it on your lunch table and I thought you were really pretty and funny, and I was only like what? 10? So I took it because I wanted something I could look at and remember you” he explained then looked up at her with an amused smirk “do you want it back?” he asked making her jaw drop  
“You still have it?” Jackie asked amazed that he could  
“Yeah man, hell you’ve seen it thousands of times” he admitted with a laugh at his own dorky-ness  
“I have?” she asked trying to think of when she had seen a sparkly daisy anywhere related to Steven Hyde?  
“yeah you have, here hold on” he said and dug into his pocket then tossed whatever it was to Jackie and blushed a bit.  
Jackie caught the object and opened her hands to see she held Stevens keys, and on the key ring next to his bottle opener, was a small metal daisy with glittering petals. She stared back at Hyde with wide eyes.  
“It’s been on you keys all this time?” she asked still staring in shock  
Hyde nodded “yeah I turned it into a key ring the day I stole it form you and put it on my house key, it kind of cheered me up every day when I had to let myself in the house cus my mom wasn’t home.” He admitted looking acutely embarrassed by what he was telling her.  
“I don’t know what to say?” Jackie breathed looking at the little daisy in her fingers  
“Say the first thing that comes to your mind” Hyde suggested with a shrug, he was prepared to deal with any reaction she might have, he owed her that much.  
“I want clarification on a lot of what you just told me” Jackie informed him sternly  
“I’ll try to answer, but I can’t promise to have answers for everything” Hyde agreed readily  
“Do you really mean everything you just said?” she asked afraid to believe him so quickly  
“Yes Jackie, I do” Hyde promised  
“It isn’t some final burn to hold you over after you move away?” she checked  
“No doll, I’m 100% serious about all of it, I am sorry for all of it and more” he assured her  
“And what do you hope to get from telling me all this? Are you trying to get me back or something?” she demanded a bit angrily  
“I’m not telling you this to get you back – don’t get me wrong, I’d like to be with you again but that’s not what I’m trying for at the moment. The reason I’m telling you is because you deserve to know how important you’ve always been to me and I never let you know it before. What I hope to get from it is you not hating me anymore, and maybe someday calling to say hi and tell me how you’re doing.” He admitted while he stared at his feet, it was so out of character for him that he didn’t know how to feel.  
“ok, now tell me where the hell your moving to and leaving me here in point fucking place?!” Jackie yelled furiously  
“Jackie, you’re moving away too” he reminded her so she’d calm down  
“Yes, but you didn’t know that when you decided to leave!” she cried pointing an accusing finger at him. Hyde blinked trying to follow her line of reasoning  
“Um, sorry?” he apologized unsure if that’s what he was supposed to do.  
“Where are you going? What are you doing? Explain yourself!” she demanded in her uniquely shrill way, which made Hyde smile because it meant he hadn’t killed that amazing spirit after all, just put it in hibernation.  
“um I’m moving to los Angeles, to work for my dad’s new business there, I uh, I decided to take his offer id been turning down after I finally saw the light about what I’d become and also Forman’s going to Mexico to teach and LA is closer to him than Wisconsin” he tried to tell her his reasons for doing what he was doing.  
“You know you’re going to hate LA right? I know you Steven and that is not a place you’re going to like living” Jackie warned him with thinly veiled concern for him.  
“Yeah I know, but I’d rather be miserable trying, than miserable sitting in a broken chair watching my life wind down” he told her seriously, he had been doing nothing for long enough.  
“I don’t want you to be miserable Steven” Jackie said softly then frowned “actually, yes I do. Be miserable Steven! Don’t you dare find happiness in la do you hear me?!” she commanded imperiously  
“Uh, I don’t know if I can completely keep a promise like that jacks? But I probably will hate Los Angeles, so I’ll try?” he offered at a loss for a better answer.  
“Oh you WILL keep it mister and do you know why?” she asked staring forcefully at him  
“Not really?” Hyde admitted cringing back slightly from Jackie’s impending wrath.  
“Because I will not be in LA! And you are here by forbidden from being happy when I am not around!” she commanded like only Jackie Burkhart could.  
“I think there’s a pretty good chance of that happening jacks” Hyde assured her.  
“Good! That’s what I want to hear!” she exclaimed pointing at him again, then her expression softened somewhat and she hesitantly took Hyde’s hand in her small ones. “you were a crappy boyfriend a lot of the time Steven, but you were always a great friend and I can’t tell you how happy I was to hear that you thought about us the same way all these years, and I’ll be close enough to visit in Stanford, so I expect you to come running whenever I call you.” She told him smiling softly at him.  
“Sure thing doll, it’s always going to be you and me jacks, till the end” Hyde promised squeezing her hand as a sign of solidarity.  
“You know were not getting back together?” she asked him worried he’d misconstrued what she’d said.  
But Hyde gave her a comforting smile “I’m not trying to get you back doll…yet” he added after a slight pause.  
“Yet?! What do you mean yet?!” Jackie cried indignantly  
Hyde couldn’t help but laugh at her strong reaction, “exactly what I said Jackie, at this point in time I am not attempting to get you back. But there will come a time when that is exactly what I will try to do, I’m sure of it, do you know why?” he asked archly.  
“Why?” Jackie snapped angrily  
“Because I love you so much it fills up every part of me, and even though that still scares me it’s nothing compared to how scared I am of giving that up. And also because even though you shouldn’t, you love me too” he told her seriously almost regretfully.  
“What makes you think I still love you?” Jackie demanded coldly.  
“because I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice even when your screeching at me, I think it because I’ve felt that love from you for years and id notice if it was gone, I think it because it’s the only love I’ve ever been sure was real Jackie and it isn’t possible for it to just disappear” Hyde told her in a soft voice he had used back when she stayed with him, it was how he had assured her she would always be ok even without her parents, because he was there for her.  
“Ok, so maybe your right. But what if I don’t want to love you anymore?” she asked in a much smaller voice, this was the Jackie he had wounded talking and it was his duty to reassure her.  
“That would make sense after everything I did, but I can promise you a few things to make it not so shitty to love me.” He told her and gently pushed her hair behind her ear.  
“Like what?” she asked staring into his eyes with a hope that made his heart hiccup.  
“Like, I am truly ready to grow up and do something with my life; even if it’s not sensational I will live life. And I can promise that I am done drinking, to be honest I know I never should have started in the first place, with an alcoholic mom what the hell did I think was going to happen?” he laughed humorlessly “you were right jacks, with our genes drinking is too risky” Hyde found himself wondering if anyone had ever noticed that barring a few isolated incidents, Jackie never drank? She claimed it was because beer was gross, but he knew for a fact it was because she had watched her floozy mother humiliate herself frequently and her dad also drank every night.  
“I can’t promise I won’t backslide ever, but I’m sure I want to stop for good. But most importantly I can promise you that even if you decide you never want to be with me again, I will still be your friend and I will always come running when you call” he vowed to her.  
“Even if I call you at 3 am to drive from LA to the bay area because I saw a spider and want you to kill it?” she asked him skeptically.  
Hyde thought for a moment and a look of disgust crossed his face “good god I would! What have you done to me woman?!” he asked startled at the lengths he would actually go for her.  
“Is this where you complain about being whipped?” Jackie smirked at him  
“doll, you’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever seen, met or heard of, believe me when I say – it will be an honor to be whipped by you” he smirked at her playfully  
Jackie laughed and smacked him on the arm, then pulled him into a tight hug which Hyde reciprocated by wrapping his strong arms tightly around her small body.  
“I’m glad your back Steven, I missed you while you were that drunk bastard version of yourself” Jackie murmured into his shoulder  
“I’m glad I’m back too jacks” Hyde agreed through the lump in his throat.  
“and I’m also glad that you’re going to be in California too, I’m really scared to move there but it’ll help knowing your sort of close by” she was scared to admit this on the slim chance that this was an elaborate burn, but she had believed him and Jackie had always been able to tell when he was lying.  
“I’ll visit you as much as you want jacks, just say the word and I’m on the road to you” he promised and held her tighter.  
“I expect weekly visits and lots of phone calls” she informed him staunchly  
“I suck on the phone jacks” Hyde reminded her  
“I don’t care Steven” Jackie said flatly  
“Ok then” Hyde murmured thankfully,  
He was someone he liked when Jackie was in his life, without her presence he was what he had always feared becoming.  
“One more thing Steven” Jackie said pulling back and giving him a disapproving look  
“Yeah Jackie?” he asked curiously  
“Go shave that freaking mustache off right this instant!” she ordered him no hint of jest in her face.  
“Anything for you doll” Hyde agreed and pulled her back into his arms.


	9. chapter 9

It was quiet in the apartment; everyone was still asleep after the stressful events of the night before, everyone but Jackie anyway. She sat at the small table next to the kitchenette sipping coffee out of her favorite plum colored mug, while thinking over all that had happened. Not much after his list of apologies Steven had headed home with Eric, Jackie had called out a reminder about shaving the nasty mustache as he’d walked out the door and Steven had saluted her…which she figured meant he would be doing as she had ordered. It was for Steven’s own good anyway, Jackie told herself objectively. She knew better than anyone what Hyde feared most and being a low life sleaze like bud was pretty much the top of that list, and what was sleazier than a porn ‘stache? She thought seriously.  
Jackie hated to admit it even in her own mind, but she had loved Stevens list he’d read to her. It wasn’t what she had been expecting but she was honest enough to admit it was what she had needed, and she also grudgingly agreed that he had a point about the nurse catastrophe and the Sam debacle. There were no words that could make her feel better about those two horrors, but knowing that he wanted to make it up to her by being the man she knew he could be? Well, that made Jackie smile into her mug. She had once told him he had potential and he – along with everyone else had taken that to mean ‘earning potential’, but she hadn’t meant that. Sure, it would be nice to never worry about money as an adult, who didn’t wish for that honestly? But what she had meant, what none of them gave her credit for meaning, was that Steven had the potential to be a great man if he just bothered to give a damn. Not a great man in the sense he was rich and powerful, but a great man like the only truly great man Jackie had ever met – red Forman. Red did the right thing, he took care of his family through any bad time or crisis that might arise, and most importantly – he wasn’t afraid to try. That’s what she wanted for Steven, to be the sort of man who others could rely on for anything because he inspired confidence. To see him even begin to think about it made her heart swell with pride for her friend.  
There was the issue of his vow to try and get her back at some point down the road to be determined later though. Jackie wasn’t sure how she felt about that? There was a lot of bad that came up when she thought of her life when she was with Steven, but as much as she wished it weren’t true – he was still her answer to any question. Jackie shook her head to get rid of thoughts about the future of her and Steven, it was just that – in the future, and she had plenty to deal with in the present so Steven would just have to wait and she would have to trust his word, which annoyingly she did.  
“What’re you all lost in thought about?” a weak tired voice asked her, breaking Jackie from her own mind.  
She snapped her head up to see king pouring a cup of coffee, looking less than chipper.  
“How’re you feeling?” Jackie asked with genuine concern for her friend.  
King gave Jackie a wry smile and laughed shortly; taking a seat by her at the table she set her mug down and yawned.  
“much as my mates probably wish I was on deaths door after what I put them through, I’m actually ok – I mean, yeah I’m tired and there is a good possibility that a tribe of pygmies trampled my head considering the gaps in my memory of the evening and the pain in my head, but overall I’m not in too bad of shape” king told her reasonably.  
“So you’re hung over, but not too bad?” Jackie asked with a frown, she hadn’t quite followed what king had said.  
“Basically yeah, from what I can remember – and that’s not much, I threw up enough that the hangover today isn’t that bad. Some coffee, some food and I’ll be back to my usual self” king explained then took a loving sip of her coffee.   
Jackie was relieved to hear she wasn’t in pain, but she wanted an explanation for what had happened. What had Connor been talking about when he brought up kings past? Why did it upset king so much? There was a story there that Jackie wanted to hear and for once she wasn’t afraid that if she asked for an explanation she would only find anger. She respected king and would give her the courtesy of showing that by expecting honesty from her. Allowing people to take the easy road and never try is tantamount to giving up on them.  
But before Jackie could ask her, king beat her to it “look kid, I’m sorry for what happened last night, I’m sure your probably upset and disappointed in me, and you have every right to be, after all I told you about how real friends should act I go crash and burn” she said looking down with shame.  
“I’m not disappointed in you Kingsley” Jackie told her softly in deference to her head ache. “And I want you to know that I’m not disappointed in you – I’ll never be disappointed in you, you’re my friend not my parent remembers?” Jackie asked with a smile, repeating one of the first things king had ever taught her about real friendship.  
King laughed when she heard her own words used against her “yeah, that’s true for some situations, but for this I owe you one. I may not have known you a long time, but I know you’re curious about what you heard before I bailed like a total jerk so, go ahead and ask me whatever you want and I’ll do my best to answer” king offered, ready to level with Jackie.  
Jackie felt almost honored to be trusted to such an extent and chose her words carefully “what were Connor talking about when he called you a prodigy and all that? And why did it upset you so much?” she started off with, figuring it was the best place to start.  
King groaned but gave Jackie a warm smile “figured you’d catch that” she told her, sounding almost proud. “Kick back kid, it’s a long story” king told her and paused to think before she began answering the question.  
“I’m from a lower middle class family, I grew up in Campbell California which has some nice parts and some not so nice parts – I’m from a not so nice part. By some perverse twist of fate I was born with….let call it an unusual inherent musical talent? I don’t remember a time when I couldn’t play whatever instrument they put in front of me, that’s just my reality – I can look at it and I know what sound it’s supposed to make and do just that. It was awhile before anyone noticed, I think I was in fifth grade when the music teacher caught on to what I could do? Well, she told my parents and before I could say ‘what the fuck is happening?’ I was thrown into special classes, then special schools, all to foster some talent that I didn’t think was anything special. When you’re born with something it’s just who you are and it seems really strange when people make a big deal about it. It also sucked that my parents weren’t so much proud of me for being a ‘musical prodigy’, as they were seeing it as their golden ticket. Don’t ask me why, but they got the idea that forcing me into the strict rigorous musical program would somehow bring them money? And then there was the school itself. All the kids there had heard how talented they were for most of their life’s and acted just how bitch ass kids do when they think their great, and then I walk in and I’m better than them from the start” here king stopped and grimaced at the memory.  
“It may have gone to my head a bit” she admitted regretfully “or actually a lot. I was a dick, but in my defense I could back it up at least, but I’m getting off point. Anyway, when I was about 16 I was not in a good place, I was under a tremendous amount of pressure from the school and my parents to get a scholarship to Julliard, I think the plan after that was to then make a ton of money and give it to my asshole parents? The problem was that I hated the school I was already in and I didn’t want any part of Julliard. Sure, I can play any kind of music you want me to, but I don’t feel it – I don’t love it, it doesn’t kick off that spark inside us that lets us know were alive. I tried to tell my folks that, I tried to tell them that what they wanted from me was making me miserable…we had a bit of a falling out over it that I don’t feel like going into. The end result was that I took off, i packed my shit up and bailed from them and school. I went to the only person I was sure gave a damn about me and what I wanted for my own life, my cousin ken. He would send me tapes of bands he liked - which set off that spark, and when I had vacations I would go with him to shows and meet his friends, I knew he would understand why I left and help me figure out what to do. He took me in the second he saw me on his door step, and that’s when I found my first true home and my first real family, there with kick and his punk circle. I finally felt like I fit somewhere, and it was everything to me, but because of my musical background I was always afraid one day they would look at me and say ‘you can play Mozart, you don’t belong here!’ of course now that I’m saying that out loud I realize how stupid that sounds, I should have had more faith in them, I should have given them the courtesy of believing that they wouldn’t judge me if I didn’t judge them. But Connor knew about that fear and he was just upset enough to use it against me, I’m not actually mad at him for it either, I’ve always known that he’s afraid someday id get bored playing punk rock and want something more challenging and what that bitch Katy told him confirmed his worst fears about me.” She told Jackie in a sad tone, and Jackie knew it was costing king to tell her all of this.  
“When did you meet Connor?” Jackie asked curiously, she could tell that for whatever reason it had been a major event in Kings Life.  
“Almost as soon as I moved in with kick.” King told her with a small smile at the memory, the expression on king’s face was so sweet that it was all Jackie could do not to put her hand on her heart and say ‘aww’. It also helped that kings usual intimidating look was softened without the black eye liner and blood red lips, she had her uneven bob slicked back into a pony tail and her face was scrubbed clean, showing how young she really was and making her look more vulnerable than was normal.  
“tell me about it?” Jackie asked gently, she loved hearing peoples stories, especially their love stories and she was pretty sure that’s what it would turn out to be, you just didn’t get that upset if you didn’t have feelings for someone.  
“It’s a long story Jackie, and it’s not really that interesting” king told her   
Jackie wasn’t buying it.  
“if it wasn’t interesting it wouldn’t be a long story, it’d be ‘I met him and we hit if off now were friends’, just by the fact that there’s more to tell than that means it’s at least a little interesting” she pointed out shrewdly.  
King gave her a curious look, and then smiled almost proudly at her “clever girl” she commended Jackie softly, then sighed and nodded that she would trust the younger girl with her story.  
“kick and max grew up next door to each other and were always friends to a certain degree, max is a few years younger than kick, so kick had already gone away by the time max graduated high school, I’m actually the youngest of us all at 22” she told Jackie for a frame of reference. “As far as I know – when kick moved back to the bay area after being gone for a while, he ran into max – who wanted to move out of his mom’s house, they didn’t get along too well. So kick told him he could move in with him ‘cus he had a house with enough room, that was about the time that Connor had to stop fighting because of a bad injury to his left shoulder, and he was at a loss and really depressed so max decided that Connor was going to come too. Connor, believe it or not, was already a punk since he was something like 13? He claims that back in Ireland its more common than here, but we have no way to prove that so we tease him about it a lot. That’s how he got into boxing actually; his mum put him in it because of how much trouble he was getting into with his friends and thought he needed to learn some discipline. He turned out to be pretty good, he could channel all that anger all of us who find punk rock have in common, into fighting and like kick told you when we first met you – he was a monster in the ring.” King stopped to drink some of her rapidly cooling coffee then, and Jackie was sure it was to stall having to admit whatever it was coming next.  
“I won’t make fun of you Kingsley” Jackie assured her softly.  
“I know kid, I trust you” king said with a warm grin “it’s just embarrassing ya know?” she explained with a frown, but king was every bit as brave as Jackie thought she was and swallowed her pride to finish the story she’d promised.  
“at any rate, so max and Connor move in with kick and they all get heavy into the scene, which they will tell you themselves was just what they each needed then. And then I show up, pissed off, defiant and 16. I’m not sure how much they wanted me around then? Well, apart from kick that is, I’ve always been sure of him caring about me. But even though I knew max and had met Connor, we weren’t much more than acquaintances at that point, and I was not an easy person to be around, I had so much anger in me that I couldn’t seem to stop myself from lashing out at them and anyone else who crossed me. I also started being self-destructive, I drank a lot and often, I think I was trying to punish anyone who had ever expected greatness from me by becoming as far from it as I could? In the end kick got tired of it and took me with him when he went to Texas to visit one of his buddies, that’s when I saw that guy I told you about, and that’s when I started to think it was time for a change. When we got back I apologized to max for being a pain in the ass, he told me he understood why I had been acting the way I did and was just glad I saw it now too, he told me then that he’d always be there to help me up when I fell - but he was never going to catch me because we only learn our lesson when we hit the ground, there’s nothing I won’t do for max now, he’s my brother in everything but blood and I love him.” King told Jackie with odd fierceness? Her feelings about her friend weren’t any kind of revelation to Jackie but king seemed to be re-avowing something she’d said before and it made Jackie curious, but it’d have to wait until later.  
“Are you going to get to Connor this decade?” Jackie asked with a raised eyebrow, as interesting as she found the story of king with kick and max, it was not them that sent her on a dangerous drinking jag and therefore they could wait.  
“I’m getting to it” king defended guiltily “the next time I saw Connor he was coming home really late and I was the only one still up, I was sitting on the couch playing my guitar quietly to keep from waking up them up. Connor came in and sat on the couch without saying a word, he just sat there listening to me play. Eventually it made me nervous and I stopped playing and asked him why he was just staring at me? He said that he was enjoying me showing how good I was instead of just acting like it. I felt like a total moron then for how I’d been acting and said I was sorry for being a bitch. Connor…..Connor laughed and told me it was ok, that none of us have the best people skills when were teenagers, that he was far worse than id been and he’d eventually grown out of it so he’d always known I would too. I asked what he meant. And he just stared at me for a long time before doing me the incredible honor of telling me his own story – which I won’t repeat because it’s not mine to tell. It put a lot of my own troubles in perspective, you see kid, however bad your life seems to you, there is always going to be someone out there who has it so much worse. Which is why it’s best to at least try and focus on the good parts of what you have? After I started to do that, Connor became my best friend, we went everywhere together and did everything, and he was always there for me. When I split with my boyfriend because I was too immature to be a decent girlfriend – which is a story for another time so don’t ask – Connor was there to pick up the pieces and help me move on. Then one day, I was just lying on the couch watching TV and max simply said Connors name and I felt this strong jolt in my stomach! It confused the hell out of me?! I spent the next few days trying to figure out why I had reacted to him that way? Finally max asked me why id been such a spaz the last few days? And I told him about it, when he was done laughing his damn ass off at me he explained patiently to me, that I liked Connor. Then informed me seriously that I’d get to keep that to myself for a while because I was 17 while Connor was 20, and neither max nor kick were allowing that. I was too young for something serious and Connor could get into trouble if he felt the same way, so he put his trust in me that I was mature enough to understand that and wait until I was older and more in control of myself.” King paused again, but this time Jackie watched a look of acute pain cross her unguarded face, and she knew whatever came next in kings story was heart breaking.  
“About a year later I turned 18, I figured it was my moment at last to tell Connor that I loved him. I was legal and that year hadn’t dimmed how I felt about him in the slightest, it actually made it increase, he was still my best friend and the more time I spent with him the more things about him I grew to love, my crush turned into full blown love and it was the worst thing that could have happened to me Jackie.” She said with a sad smile.  
“How could love be the worst thing to happen?” the romantic soul of Jackie Burkhart demanded.  
“Because Connor showed up to my birthday party at our house with a date” king said in a low pain filled voice.  
“Was it Katy?” Jackie asked cringing in empathy for her friend.  
“No, Katy wasn’t for a while after that. I don’t even remember this girl’s name? Ruby or Roxy or Rachael? I think there was an ‘R’ involved but I can’t swear to it since I did what I do and got hammered because I couldn’t handle how I felt. Max took care of me while I was like that, made the excuses for me and cleaned me up when I was sick all over myself, put me to bed and watched me through the night. Sometimes I wish I could be in love with max but I know that’s not an option, I’m in love with an Irish idiot and max could never see me that way. But after that max laid down the law, he told me that hurting myself, like that hurt him and kick as well and Connor too for that matter. That if I wasn’t going to tell Connor how I felt about him max would support that choice but he would not support me coping by getting stupid drunk and risking my life. Since then I’ve only fucked up like that a few times, and not always about Connor, sometimes I’ve just buckled under stress. Anyway, after I blew another few chances to confess to Connor for no better reason than I chickened out, he met Katy and she was so far from me that I realized that just because Connor was a punk didn’t mean he wanted to be with a punk, and I’m not about to change who I am for anybody even him, no matter how much I love him. And that pretty much brings us up to now” king finished her story and Jackie found that there were tears in her eyes from listening to the heart breaking honesty her friend used to tell of it.   
King did not make excuses for her, she did not ask for pity or sympathy; she accepted the facts and tried to her best to live with them – albeit with the occasional drinking binge.  
“So what now? Are you finally going to tell him you love him?” Jackie asked hopefully, watching her friend’s get their own happy ending would make Jackie’s year, how better to kick off a whole new decade?  
“um, no. my stunning example of how not to handle adversity aside, nothing really changed Jackie, he’s still engaged and I’m still a hardcore punk with no urge to change that anytime soon, it’s an insurmountable chasm of cold reality” king shrugged feigning indifference.  
“That was the most poetic line of bullshit I’ve ever heard Kingsley” Jackie told her with a grin  
“My, aren’t we spunky this morning” king noted without malice.  
“Oh this? This is the way I am when I have amazing friends who encourage me to be myself without worry. And myself is fully confident in telling you that your wrong.” Jackie said flatly  
Instead of getting mad like another ex-female friend of Jackie’s with red hair and a holier than though attitude who would remain nameless, king looked almost proud of Jackie for telling it like she saw it.  
“How’s that then?” she asked curious but sure whatever Jackie said wouldn’t be accurate in the end, but she loved the tiny brunette for trying.  
“well for starters, as intimidating as you are with your wild hair and punk clothes and unflattering make up, you’re really pretty and I’m sure Connor knows it and also I don’t believe for a second that he’d be part of the punk community and still only want to be with non-punk women” she said with the confidence that only Jackie could manage.  
“Punk community? I like that kid” king said with the biggest smile Jackie had ever seen on her face, and it made Jackie proud to have a friend like her all over again.  
“we’ll talk about it later, right now I need to clear up the dumbass ideas in that head of yours!” Jackie said channeling the spirit of one Red Forman and loud enough to make king wince. “For your information, Connor is not engaged! At least not anymore” Jackie dropped her most important piece of information like high pitched bomb, leaving king to stare for a prolonged moment, then unable to do anything but blink her huge blue eyes while the news processed through her brain.  
“when-how-what?” she stammered weekly, looking at Jackie pleadingly. So Jackie being the unconventionally wonderful friend she was, told king about what had happened after king had stormed off. Although, she left out the part where max had told Connor how king felt about him. That was their own business and she knew king was too stubborn to say anything to him if she heard that he already knew.  
When she was done filling King in on the events she had missed, King buried her head in her arms atop the table and Jackie could barely make out a string of muttered swear words issuing from her.  
“It’s all going to be alright king” Jackie told her soothingly and patted her head to comfort her.  
King finally raised her head and looked at Jackie with an expression of calm acceptance, “I know kid, thanks for caring” she said kindly, then Jackie felt a chill run up her spine when a very familiar crooked grin dawned on kings face – just as ominous without her usual look, Jackie noted clinically. “Now, tell me more about what you and ‘Steven’ talked about?” king asked with a pointedly amused look, Jackie was on the hook right along with her and Jackie knew it too.  
So with only the minimum of stalling and stammering, Jackie told king everything. Halfway through Jackie’s detailed account of Hyde’s list king had to fight hard not to start smiling at how Jackie was flat out gushing, Kingsley Macgregor may look like what most of suburban America would consider low life trash, but she was smart and observant and she had a pretty good idea of what lay in store for her favorite chick. Jackie was too busy listing every last detail, to notice the look of pure smugness that now adorned king’s face.


	10. chapter 10

A/N so the last chapter may have seemed pointless if you happen to not care at all about any of my original characters and only want to see Jackie and the rest, if that is the case – sorry? For those of you that agree with my opinion that after the things said in the chapter before it needed explaining – cool! And for everyone, sorry it’s a lot of run on information all at once, my only explanation is that I wanted to get the ground covered and move on. So now that it’s covered, I get to move on to some fun stuff. Also, I just read what posted and sorry for the typos.

 

Meanwhile, across town at the Forman residence. (a/n sorry I had to)  
Eric and Hyde were sitting at the round kitchen table eating the breakfast kitty sat in front of them gratefully, they’d had a long night and sustenance was appreciated. Red ignored them both while he read his newspaper and drank his coffee because, as he put it – it was too damn early to hear their dumbass crap. This was a respected rule in the Forman home. So when there was an unaccustomed interruption, the three men at the table looked up as one to stare at kitty Forman, who was talking happily into the phone? It hadn’t rung, they were collectively sure of that, which meant that kitty had done the unthinkable and called out during breakfast!  
Hyde and Eric looked at each other than to Red, sure he was about to blow his top! But he only shrugged disinterestedly and went back to his paper. Leaving the two boys in shock and confusion, who would their mother (Hyde considered this as well) break the sacred silence to call?  
“Oh, that’s perfect Jackie! I can’t wait to see you all! A ha ha ha!” kitty finished with her signature laugh before hanging up with Jackie.  
“Why were you talking to the loud one?” Red asked curiously from behind the sports section.  
“Well I haven’t seen Jackie around in a long time so I called to see if she was doing ok, she told me that she’s been spending most of her time with some new friends – and Eric”   
Eric froze when his mother’s accusing look fell on him, his fork hovered in front of his open mouth while he waited for the inevitable….  
“Why hadn’t you told us you’d been going to Jackie’s house or that she had new friends?!” his mother cried in her guilt inducing tone.  
And there it was, “uh….i thought you knew?” Eric tried saying, but his answer lacked confidence and neither of his parents bought it for a second.  
“Why wouldn’t he tell us red?” kitty asked sadly acting as if neither of her boys were in the room to hear her.  
“Because he’s a dumbass honey” red consoled her gruffly, giving his son an unimpressed glare.  
“Look, I didn’t think you’d care!” Eric admitted throwing his arms in the air in defeat.  
“Well honey that’s just silly, I’ve always loved Jackie, she’s a little loud but I could always tell her heart was in the right place, unlike do- other ladies her age! A ha ha ha ha!” kitty laughed to cover her slip up, which didn’t fool anyone but they all chose to let it pass.  
“So what did the loud one say kitty? Is she going to stop by?” red asked trying valiantly to hide his interest in the answer. Again neither Eric nor Hyde were fooled but said nothing, Eric looked slightly confused as to why his dad – who could most warmly be described as a hard ass, cared at all if one of the damn kids he complained about was going to visit? Hyde on the other hand had a better idea of how much Red cared about Jackie, he respected her honesty and energy, and was the only one who bothered to look past her carefully constructed shallow façade, while doing so Red had also fostered Jackie’s knack with engines. Hyde had often surrendered his girlfriend to help red with a tune up or oil change, and he’d always been privately proud that HIS girlfriend had the Red Forman seal of approval unlike do- other girls her age.  
‘Good god I’ve been spending too much time around Mrs. Forman!’ Hyde thought suddenly and shook his head to get back on track and hear what she told red about her conversation with Jackie.  
“Well I invited them to dinner tonight! Jackie didn’t want to ask her friends but one of them was there already and told her they’d be glad to come” kitty gushed happily, she would have one of her babies back for a night and if history held, maybe adopt some new ones?  
“How many people is that going to be?” asked red with a frown, he wasn’t a fan of too many people sharing his dinner.  
“Well, there are you, me and the boys, that’s four, then Jackie and her four friends will make nine” she said absently, already planning her menu in her head.  
“Uh, mom? Aren’t you forgetting the usual ever present guests?” Eric reminded her tactfully.  
“oh dear” kitty murmured when she realized Eric had a point, no matter what she or Red said, a certain two always seemed to be there even when it was clearly a family occasion.  
Seeing her distress Hyde came to his adopted mom’s aid, it meant kind of throwing Jackie under the bus, but he knew she wouldn’t be mad once he explained it was for Mrs. Forman, Jackie loved the older lady too.  
“Actually Mrs.F, I shouldn’t tell you but Jackie got a scholarship to Stanford university and is moving to California in two months, I bet tonight would be a great opportunity for a surprise congratulations/going away party” Hyde suggested casually.  
Eric’s eyes bugged out “dude! Aren’t you trying to get Jackie back someday? She’s going to kill you for telling her news without her here” Eric hissed too low for his parents to hear.  
“trust me Forman, I have a plan” Hyde assured his friend confidently “the only thing is Mrs. Forman, I’m pretty sure Jackie would want it as small as possible so maybe just for tonight we keep it just her ‘friends’ and lock the door you know?” he said giving her a strange look that she seemed to understand, but which her husband and son did not.  
They didn’t understand it, because neither of them knew that kitty had spoken to Hyde privately before Sam left and had let loose some much needed truths on her foster son.  
\- Two months previously, before Jackie met king –   
Hyde sat alone in the basement scowling at the re-run on the TV with his shades on and his arms crossed over his chest, kitty found him this way and it was just what she had expected which made her chest ache with sadness for her son. People often mistook kitty’s upbeat personality for stupidity or at least naivety, but she was neither and understood most of what went on in her home and she was there for one specific reason.  
“Steven honey, are you going to sit alone down here forever?” she began gently  
“If I’m lucky” Hyde had replied blankly  
Kitty had sighed sadly and sat on the couch across from him, just looking at him and thinking what she could have don’t differently to save him from getting so lost? It killed her to see him the way he was – dying slowly from the loss of any purpose he’d had.  
“I want better for you Steven, I want to see you happy again like you were with Jackie” she said slowly  
“I was miserable with Jackie!” Hyde growled refusing to look at the concern he knew would be on kitty’s face.  
“No honey, you weren’t.” she said simply, but immovably, she spoke the truth and wasn’t going to allow him to argue fact to sooth his ego.  
“So what? It doesn’t matter now” he’d grumbled angrily  
“It matters honey, it will always matter. How you feel about things matters Steven, having feelings doesn’t make you week or less of a man, but hiding from the truth – from life does.” She told him sternly, she had already lost her daughter to self-indulgent refusal to face reality, she would be damned if she lost her son too!  
“Whatever” Hyde mumbled, uncomfortable with the topic.  
“Steven you listen to me right this moment! You are my son and I love you, I will always love you, but watching how you’re letting your life go is breaking my heart. You’re not living your life Steven, your letting it live you, you’ve made some bad choices honey but it’s not too late to fix them” she assured him gravely  
“look, I know you all think letting Sam stay over working it out with Jackie was a mistake, but it’s too late to fix it” he told her getting agitated,  
“no Steven your wrong, I wasn’t talking about your choice with Samantha – although I do think it was the wrong choice, I’m talking about the choices you’ve made with your friends” kitty explained with a serious expression that brought Hyde up short, kitty Forman loved everyone….didn’t she?  
“what mistakes did I make?” he wasn’t arguing, he was really asking her, if she said something had been a wrong choice he would believe her, his real mother didn’t lie to him.  
Kitty patted his knee and gave him a wan smile “oh sweetie, which one haven’t you made?” she joked with a strain of truth in her words. “for starters, the rest of them might not be aware of it but I happen to know Jackie is your true best friend, when you got shingles in junior year before you two were dating she was the one who brought you your homework and spent her afternoons helping you keep on track with it. While the rest of your friends that claimed to be your ‘best friends’ said you looked I believe the terms were ‘gross’ and ‘scary’. But Jackie who they all called a princess didn’t bat an eye at you.” She reminded him bluntly of that time to show him how he had warped the past to make her the enemy “and that’s not all either Steven, I’ve watched you both most of your lives, the two of you always had a bond the other children didn’t share. So there was your first bad choice – you chose Michaels friendship to have more worth than the one you had with Jackie, and it simply isn’t true. Michael can be a nice boy – I bit stupid, but nice enough, but he’s a buddy, a pal, a chum. Not a friend, a friend is someone who is there for you whether you ask them to be or not, like Jackie was for you and the way you are for Eric and him for you” she explained softly  
“and like donna” Hyde added to show he was listening to what she said, but Hyde’s eyes widened when he saw his mother’s mouth go into a hard line at the mention of the neighbor girl? “Are you mad at Donna?” he asked; ready to have words with the bottle blonde if she’d been rude to his mom…again.  
“Not mad honey, just worn out” she said shaking her head sadly “like I said already, I’ve watched you all most of your lives, I know you better than most of your parents ever could, and I know things about all of you that you don’t realize about yourself,”  
“Like what?” he couldn’t help but ask.  
“Like donna is not a good friend, especially to Jackie” she told him regretfully, Hyde could tell that she wished what she said wasn’t true but had eventually been forced to accept that it was.  
“She’s one of my oldest friends though” he’d tried to defend Donna and make Mrs. Forman reconsider, but she again just shook her head.  
“Oh honey I’m sorry” she told him and squeezed his hand “but she’s not, you think about it – really look at it without prejudice, and you’ll see what I’m talking about” she told him, then kissed his forehead and told him not to stay up too late.  
\- Present day again –   
Hyde and Eric left their parents to plan what was now going to be a celebratory dinner party, Eric went outside to go hang out with kick and max and warn them about Red, while Steven retreated to the basement to mentally prepare to face Jackie after everything he had told her the night before and fulfill his promise to shave off the mustache before she arrived and waged war on his shins. When he got to the bottom of the stairs he stopped short, sitting on the ratty old couch without a care in the world was Donna.  
“What are you doing here?” he asked as politely as he could manage considering his wealth of rage where she was concerned. Being sober had unfortunately brought a lot of things into focus that he’d been actively ignoring to keep his life easy, and a major one he had suppressed was how he felt about the now blonde sitting before him.  
“I wanted to talk to you” she said with her ‘I’ve come to tell you how stupid you are’ tone, but he gritted his teeth and kept his tone civil.  
“Yeah? What about?” Hyde asked without much interest while he went to the sink to shave while she threw at him whatever it was she felt entitled to throw.  
“you’ve been ditching me and Kelso to sit alone and sulk ever since Sam left, and I thinks it’s pretty crappy to shut out the two friends that have always been there for you and had your back just because you regret not fighting for her to stay” she began with her grating righteous tone.  
Hyde schooled his features into the familiar mask of indifference he’d perfected over the years and simply said “really?” as evenly as possible  
“Yeah ‘really’ Hyde! I mean come on, if you’d just come to me I would have helped you work it out with Sam, she came all the way here from Vegas for you she must have had to give up a lot to do that and that means something you know?” she said loudly but not yet shouting.  
“Does it?” he asked with a blaze attitude  
“Yes! And you haven’t spoken to Kelso in a week! After all he’s forgiven you for to keep your friendship intact don’t you think you owe it to him to say two words to him in a week?!” she demanded even more loudly.  
“As it happens I have more than two words for Kelso” Hyde told her flatly  
“Good! We’ve all been friends for ever Hyde, that’s not something you give up on because you were too big of a coward to tell Sam how you felt” she told him condescendingly.  
“Are you done?” he asked blankly  
“No you dill hole! I want to know where the hell you’ve been that was more important than your friends?!” Donna was shouting now, her temper a victim of his Zen, he almost wanted to laugh but was too damn pissed off to.  
“I’ve been with my friends!” he snapped, emphasizing the words to make Donna pay attention.  
“No you haven’t that’s what I’ve just been saying!” she yelled indignantly, missing the point completely as usual.  
“I’ve been listening donna, you’re the one who isn’t” he replied coldly “what I’m telling you is that I’ve been with Eric and Jackie, you know – my friends?” he asked pointedly, all the many things both she and Kelso had done over the years were rising to the surface and he had to clench his fists at his side to control his temper.  
“Jackie?!” Donna shrieked with shock “how high are you Hyde? It must be pretty strong shit if you’re calling Jackie your friend over me and Kelso” she laughed snidely. “Did you forget all the selfish shit she did you? How she almost ruined you and Kelso being friends! She was shallow and petty and immature and you’re choosing her over us?!” she cried in dismay  
“Uh, yeah man” he said with a shrug to show how easy of a decision it had been. And turned to ignore her while he disposed of the last remnant of ‘drunken bastard Hyde’ the porn mustache.  
“what the hell Hyde?!” she screamed furiously, a small part of him had hoped that she would be self-aware enough to see what he meant and leave gracefully, this wasn’t looking like what was going to happen, so with a sigh Hyde turned and faced donna to start on ‘option two’.  
“Donna man, you don’t want to get into this with me” he warned her seriously, his freshly shaven lip felt cold but made him oddly alert?  
“What are you talking about?” Donna asked obliviously  
“You really don’t get it do you?” Hyde asked with a hint of sadness,  
“Get what? What the hell are you talking about? You sound like you’re losing it again, like you did when you quit smoking that time” she told him, her eyes devoid of realization.  
Hyde sighed “that’s as good a place as any to start” he shrugged and grabbed a soda; he’d need to wet his throat if he ended up talking as much as he thought he’d end up having to. “you talk about how great of friends we are but when I tried to get sober after a bad trip you were right there dragging me back into the life” he started what he knew could very easily turn into a war, donna was not known for her understanding or ability to see both sides of a situation.  
“You were acting crazy” she defended her actions  
“yeah, but for someone who claims to be so damn smart you’d think you could have come up with a better plan than getting me to fall off the wagon, I mean – look how well I’ve done since then” he said bitterly.  
“You’re blaming me for your mistakes now?!” Donna snapped  
“No man, those are on me, I know it and I’m working on making amends where it’s needed. But there is a hell of a lot I do blame you for Pinciotti, fuck there’s so much I don’t even know where to start!” Hyde barked the edges of his control fraying in the face of her uncaring expression.  
“Blame me? What exactly do you blame me for?” she sneered at him.  
“oh gee let me think” he snarled crossing his arms and tilting his head at her “how about when you strung my brother along and made him jump through hoops for you and then took off to California when he didn’t want to comfort you after your douche bag boyfriend dumped you? He shouldn’t have been your second choice but you and I know damn well that’s what he was to you then, you treat him like crap for years, make him kiss your ass constantly and the one time he stands up for himself you run off and make everyone worry that you were hurt or dead. And while we’re on the subject of your little trip, how about the part where you were supposed to be Jackie’s best friend, but when you find out that her boyfriend and her got engaged and he’s too big of a coward to tell her he isn’t ready for that and is running away, instead of telling him she deserved an explanation to her face you hitch a ride away from your own fuck ups with him! And you have the fucking Gaul to ever call her selfish?!” he seethed at her and he was just getting started, he didn’t see much of a point in letting her say anything yet.  
“And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of how shitty you treated Jackie, you acted above her from day one, always flaunting how much the other guys hit on you, always insulting her for cheerleading while you went by hot Donna, always acting smarter than her. Well miss ‘I got 1230 on the SAT’s’ that doesn’t mean shit! Or did you forget that Kelso of all fucking people got 1000? Hell I got over 900 hundred and I fell asleep half way through the damn test! Oh, but since you think it’s such a big accomplishment maybe you’d be curious to know that Jackie – who no one bothered to ask when she took the same damn test – got 1250, which I’m sure you know is higher than 1230!” he almost screamed,  
But Donna rolled her eyes and laughed derisively “knowing Jackie she probably flirted with the instructor to get a better score” she sneered coldly, still unwilling to give credence to anything Hyde was saying.  
“See there you go again man, I used to think that you had a reason for how you treated Jackie, I thought you were my friend and that if you had a problem with shit she was doing it was for a good fucking reason. But it never was! And I finally figured it out, your jealous of her” he said with calm certainty   
“I am not jealous of Jackie!” Donna laughed bitterly  
“Oh really? You didn’t try to sabotage her every chance you got? You helped Kelso get her back when she was testing him; you fucking fed him the answers man! After all he did to her and you were actively trying to help him do it all over again! He never stopped cheating on her and you knew he wouldn’t, we all knew, just like we all knew he was screwing Laurie! She had to get a fucking blood test after that Donna! Now I know that we were all guilty of not telling her about it, but were not the ones who prattle on and fucking on about feminism and sisterhood then turn around and try to get her back with a guy who treats her like shit! And when she ended up with him again and he did the same damn thing we all knew he would – again! – and you fucking helped him run out on her, when you both decided to grace us with your presence again you had the fucking audacity to judge us for being together!” he was so mad now with the memories flooding back that he had to take deep breaths to keep any sort of composure.  
“She was always making bitchy comments to me! She called me a fucking lumber jack or did you forget?!” Donna yelled at him her face getting red.  
“So the fuck what man?! You liked being the chick that could hang with the guys, you fucking got off on that shit man, then the minute she teases you about that very thing she deserves to get the clap from Kelso?! Admit it donna, you thought you were so great for so fucking long with all of us as your only friends, it let you feel superior cus we were a bunch of stupid teenage guys, but then Jackie comes along and her grades are better than yours, she understands people better than you and she’s so fucking gorgeous that people openly stare on the street! You hated her because she made you see just how run of the mill small town you were! You can blame Forman for you not going to collage all you damn please, but don’t ever forget that I know the fucking truth, I was there when you get stoned and admitted that you were scared to be a small fish in a big pond, and you used Eric as an excuse for your own fear of failure! Well Eric is done with your bullshit and it’s about damn time, and Jackie is done with your bullshit too! She’s going to Stanford – a school that didn’t give you enough notice to send a form rejection letter, and she’s going to do something amazing with her life because she’s smart and brave and hard working – everything you try to make people think you are but aren’t” he knew he was taunting her with that last bit, but he wasn’t quite done.

“Stanford accepted Jackie?” Donna asked in a softer less sure voice

“Not only did they accept her, they offered her a full ride man. She’s getting away from you and Kelso for fucking good and that starts right fucking now. I should have said this when you were trying to make me apologize to fucking Kelso of all people, for finally being with the only woman for me, but better late than never right? Neither you – nor Kelso will bother Jackie again before she goes! That chick is more important to me than you or Kelso have ever been and I did a shit job of showing it for a long time, but I don’t care what you guys say anymore! I don’t care if you burn me for loving Jackie, asking if I’m going to cry about her when she leaves, god! You never had the slightest bit of respect for our relationship did you?!” Hyde demanded, fully aware this was off what he had planned to tell her before he and later Jackie left town.  
“What was there to respect Hyde? You were nailing your friend’s leftovers for a burn. You two were never going to last! It was plain as day from the start that you had nothing in common, hell you two barely knew each other!” Donna accused scathingly.  
“Nah man, that’s where you’re wrong, jacks and I have always been close. When I moved back in after bud it was Jackie who bothered to ask me about it and make sure I was ok, yeah she did some dumb immature stuff too but she was really young and it was nothing compared to how many times she was there for me when the rest of you laughed and teased me” he told donna with a kind of finality she didn’t know how to react to.  
“So what’s your point with all this Hyde?” she asked rolling her eyes.  
“donna, you’re the kind of person who humiliates a friend has nowhere to go that’s safe by putting her on the spot and acting like it’s an imposition to give her a safe place to sleep, you’re the kind of friend that would blame the person who was wronged for bringing it on themselves, you’re the type of person who would do that and then befriend the girl her friend was wronged with. And don’t bother saying you were trying to be my friend by doing that, because I never asked you to and I sure as hell would have understood you standing by Jackie through all that, just like I stood by Forman when you brought Kasey Kelso here, it’s what you do when people are your friends and not just people you use to feel better about yourself. And that’s my point, you’re the kind of person that can’t be someone’s friend because you only care about yourself” he laid it out with cold detachment, trying to make her see for once where she had been the shallow selfish friend, not Jackie.  
“You’re calling me shallow and selfish in the same sentence where Jackie’s involved? Are you fucking kidding me?!” Donna demanded furiously offended.  
“yeah that’s exactly what I’m doing, see donna what it comes down to is I’ve made a choice about where I want my life to go, and Jackie is someone I want to keep in my life, so are fez and Forman. You and Kelso just didn’t make the cut” he smirked coldly.  
“Well fuck you to Hyde!” she screamed and fled from the basement slamming the door behind her.  
“I should have brought some popcorn for that” Eric’s voice told Hyde from the top of the stairs.  
Hyde laughed silently “how long have you been listening?” he asked without anger  
“oh I came back to find my keys and heard the start of it, I must say my friend I’m both touched at your loyalty to me and the devil as well as being impressed with your mastery of telling someone off” Eric told him with a grin, then offered a round of applause for what he’d heard.  
“It needed saying” Hyde shrugged  
“That it did, I can’t wait to tell Jackie about it, I even took notes so I wouldn’t leave anything out” Eric said happily, and held up Mrs. Forman’s message pad from the kitchen.  
“Please don’t tell Jackie” Hyde asked to Eric’s surprise  
“Why not? Don’t you want her to know you finally stood up for her?” Eric asked frowning.  
“Yeah, I mean no, I mean……just don’t tell her when I’m around ok? I don’t want her to think I did it just to make her happy, I did it because I’ve been fed up with Donna’s bullshit for a long time and finally had the balls to tell her” Hyde explained.  
“Whatever you want brother” Eric said pretending to get choked up at the word Hyde had used to describe him to Donna.  
“Forman, you are my brother, but I will not hesitate to kick your ass” Hyde told him with a level gaze  
“and with that I’m going to go and explain to Kick why he might want to wear a hat to dinner, I’m not sure Red will react well to blue hair” Eric said with a laugh then waved goodbye to Hyde, who took a drink of his soda and headed for the shower.

 

A/N I hope you all enjoyed that and that it was cathartic for those that hate donna as I do, I tried to keep it from just being a list of all the messed up things she did, but also im not quite done with her yet, wait and see in the next chapter which ill try to finish and post tomorrow, so until then!


	11. chapter 11

Hyde was so nervous he was sick, any moment Jackie and her friends (that he was quickly considering friends as well) would be there, and no matter what happened he knew it would be - at the very least awkward.  
Sure he and Jackie could now inhabit the same space without world war 3 descending, but it in no way meant that it was easier to be around her again. He just wanted to grovel and beg until she liked him again, but Hyde knew that not only, was that not likely to work, but that if he wanted a real chance with Jackie he needed to do some things first. The first step – get through the night without making a total fool of himself. He groaned when it occurred to him just how hard that first step was likely to be.

To sooth his nerves without resorting to his default of drinking, Hyde went to sit in the living room. This was a mistake.  
Red was reading the evening paper and kitty was bustling around making sure every last thing was perfect for her guest who would shortly arrive, Forman must be upstairs? For a lack of anything else available to do, Hyde sat on the couch and rubbed his palms on his knees. A part of him knew that once they got there it wouldn’t be so bad, but a bigger part of him was running through scenarios where he ruined all the progress he’d achieved without realizing he was fucking up. He was half way through the latest one - where he passed Jackie rolls with the wrong hand (what the fuck did he know about etiquette?) when the doorbell rang – giving him a mild heart attack.  
“They’re here!” kitty sang out excitedly, and nearly ran to get the door.  
Red set aside his paper and assumed a bored expression, but Hyde could see the happiness at seeing Jackie there easily. For his part, Hyde took a deep breath and braced for impact, because no matter how nervous he was because of his own worries, he was smart enough to know that Red’s reaction to Jackie’s new group of friends was going to be epic. He wondered if Kick listened to Eric about wearing a hat. He figured he’d see soon enough, as kitty threw the front door open and had Jackie in a tight, bouncing hug before she was even over the threshold.  
“Oh Jackie! It’s so good to see you! Don’t you ever go so long without at least calling me again! Do you understand young lady?” kitty demanded with a sniff.  
“Sorry Mrs. Forman” Jackie mumbled with difficulty through the hold the older lady had on her.  
“Kitty, let the loud one go she’s turning blue” Red told his wife gruffly, then gently pulled her off Jackie who immediately gasped in a large breath of air.  
“hi Mr. Forman” Jackie said with the warmest happiest smile Hyde had seen on her face since he could recall, it was easy to see that this was her father as far as either of them were concerned.  
“hey there loud one, I uh – that is to say, kitty’s really missed you, what with all the other kids being ungrateful dumbasses” he told her, trying hard not to let it show how much he’d missed his loud, perky surrogate daughter.  
“Yeah I’m sorry I haven’t been around, it was just too much you know?” Jackie told Red in a low voice that none the less carried to Hyde’s curious ears. Red nodded surely to what Jackie said and Hyde felt a fresh wave of shame, Red knew all about what had been going on under his roof – probably always had.  
Only then did kitty notice that in her hurry to get to Jackie she had left her other guests standing outside on the steps! With a laugh and a whirl kitty was ushering in the other four and Hyde watched curiously as Red and kitty’s eyes widened with each entrance.  
First king, whose main effort to dress up was to wear a skirt – red plaid with a studded belt slung around her hips.  
Then Connor who had considerately not spiked his Mohawk for the occasion.  
Max looked like he had every time Hyde had seen him, cool composed and dressed oddly reminiscent of a 50’s greaser?  
The last in the door was Kick and Hyde saw that he wasn’t the only one to brace for impact, he had in fact forgotten to wear a hat and his electric blue hair was its usual disheveled mess. Kitty gaped at him and Red glared with open dislike.  
“My don’t all of you look…..” kitty couldn’t come up with a polite euphemism for what she was seeing.  
But none of the new arrivals seemed to be bothered by it, and Hyde guessed that it wasn’t the first time they’d encountered such a reaction. King as their unofficial leader took it upon herself to make the introductions.  
“Hi, I’m Kingsley but you can call me king, this is my cousin Kick, that’s Connor and that’s max” she told the staring Forman’s with the ghost of an amused grin on her face.  
Hyde wondered what would break the tension. It turned out to be Jackie.  
“Mr. and Mrs. Forman, they’re in a band” she explained hoping that would work to explain the four she had brought, it was fairly evident that the Forman’s had never seen anything like Jackie’s friends even on television.  
“oh!” Mrs. Forman cried as if any explanation would work for her as long as there was one “well that’s just great, what kind of music do you play?” she asked doing her best to remain the wonderful hostess she always was, a little surprise would not stop kitty Forman!  
“Punk rock” kick told her with a wide grin,  
This brought red out of his silent glare at the young people, and he gave kick a narrow eyed gaze “son are you aware that your hair is blue?” he asked, as if maybe kick was genuinely unaware of what was going on with head?  
Kick nodded agreement “yes, yes I do sir” kick replied with an even wider smile  
“And you’re aware that you look like a damn fool?” red inquired flatly  
“I am yes!” kick agreed readily  
“How old are you?!” red demanded of the goofy man before him, sure that there had to be some kind of explanation for what he was seeing.  
“28 sir” kick answered proudly  
“28? 28 and you have blue hair and a safety pin holding your shirt together?!” red just couldn’t understand what was happening with kids today.  
“sir yes sir!” kick answered with a salute and a smile, Hyde tensed expecting red to tear the poor guy apart for mocking the armed forces that way, Jackie also looked frightened that her friend was about to get the famed ‘foot in the ass’ for his poor choice of response. But instead of yelling or putting his widely feared foot in kicks ass – red looked at kick intently for a few moments until he seemed to find what he had been looking for and his stance noticeably relaxed.  
“Where and when son?” he asked kick in a strange tone.  
They watched as a shadow crossed over kicks eyes “marines, two years in Vietnam sir” kick supplied to red, all goofiness gone for a moment.  
“Marines?” red said approvingly “I was navy during Korea” he shared, and before any of them could react, red was leading kick into his den to talk about their shared experiences.  
“Didn’t see that one coming” Hyde noted to king and Jackie who stood closest to him.  
“Me either” Jackie agreed and gave king a confused look.  
“Well of course I knew he served in Vietnam, he is my cousin.” King pointed out with a laugh “but he doesn’t like to talk about it, or remember it, so we don’t bring it up” she explained with a shrug.  
“Ok well, I’m sure red and, and …..What was his name?” kitty asked the young people in her living room with a frown.  
“Uh, he goes by kick, but his name is Kenneth if that’s easier for you” king offered the sweet older lady helpfully  
Kitty nodded to king thankfully “I’m sure that red and Kenneth will be back out in time for dinner, so how about we all get to know each other while we wait for the roast to be done?” she suggested in her normal bubbly mood, nothing kept kitty Forman down for long! Not even a group of scary looking punk rockers invading her home!  
“whatever you’d like” max agreed respectfully and took a seat next to Hyde on the couch and gave him a friendly nod in greeting, Hyde having found king before harm could come to her that night, had drastically raised their opinion of him, and Hyde hated to admit it, but it made him happy that Jackie’s new friends didn’t look at him like he was a disease any more.  
“So, where should we start?” kitty asked clapping her hands as she perched on the edge of reds green chair.  
“I don’t know Mrs. Forman?” Jackie said with a small frown, she didn’t want to put her friends on the spot or talk like they weren’t there?  
“Well why don’t you tell me what classes you’ll be taking when you start school?” kitty suggested excitedly.  
Jackie blinked with confusion, then understanding dawned on her face and she turned and hissed at Hyde “you told!” accusingly  
“she was upset man, I did what I had to cheer her up” he explained truthfully, and watched as Jackie’s face softened, she understood perfectly putting kitty above a small secret, after all she was going to tell the Forman’s about Stanford soon as it was.  
“Well I’m not sure yet? That’s why I’m getting there early to learn my way around and figure out what to take” Jackie explained, somewhat relieved that kitty wasn’t upset she was leaving – yet.  
“Oh Jackie, I’m so proud of you! Stanford is an excellent school and they’re lucky to have you, I just worry about you being so far from home” she told the young woman seriously.  
Jackie knew how Mrs. Forman felt about her babies being too far for her to take care of, and was also aware that soon she would learn that Steven was also going to leave and so Jackie did what she could to make kitty feel better.  
“um, they all live nearby where I’ll be going to school, so I’ll know somebody out there” Jackie offered up and gestured to her friends who were watching quietly, and to put kitty’s mind at ease about her moving so far away.  
Sure enough, kitty downright beamed at the three still in the living room “you all live near Stanford?” she asked happily  
“Yes ma’am, about an hour away” max replied when it became clear that Connor was as usual too shy to speak, and king was distracted looking around the room.  
“Well I expect you all to look out for my little girl out there” kitty charged them all sternly  
King was staring at a framed family photo on the wall that included Laurie as well and spoke without looking away from it “she’s welcome to stay with us if she wants” she offered absently  
“really?” Jackie asked excitedly and grabbed Hyde’s hand without realizing it, when she did she gave him a bashful smile and squeezed his fingers once before letting go…mostly, her pinky finger remained hooked around his, and Hyde had to fight not to smile like a fool because of it.  
“Sure, we have room, you’re our friend and we’d probably all worry about you if you lived in the dorms, lotta frat assholes and such. An hour commute aint so bad ya know?” Connor told Jackie seriously, and Hyde noticed he seemed to purposefully hide his accent? Hyde was sure there was some reason for this, but was curious enough to make a mental note to ask later.  
“So you’re all in a band? That must be fun, is that why you’re in point place?” kitty asked with actual interest now that she was beginning to like the odd bunch scattered around her living room.  
“yeah we got stranded here, but were about set to head home, probably about two or three weeks?” max told her with a shrug.  
“Yeah that’ll give us time to get a room set up for Jackie” king noted with a grin directed towards the girl in question.  
“You guys I don’t want you to go to any trouble, I can live in a dorm I don’t want to impose” Jackie told them nervously, she truly didn’t want to annoy them.  
“Nonsense Jackie! They wouldn’t have offered if it were a problem, would you?” kitty asked them as a whole.  
“I told you kid, I don’t say much that I don’t mean, and I’m pretty sure we’d all feel better knowing you’re safe and not being hassled by stupid college kids” king confirmed what kitty had already guessed, they cared about Jackie and wanted to know she was being looked out for, the world simply isn’t safe for tiny beautiful young girls – well it’s not safe for almost anyone, but Jackie was so damn small it made it worse.  
“If you’re sure it wouldn’t be an imposition, I’d love too!” Jackie told them happily, and Hyde found himself let out a sigh of relief. He might not know any of them well, his longest conversation had been with king while she explained why he was such a fuck up, but he could rest easy knowing they were looking out for Jackie while he wasn’t there.  
Just a bit later kitty announced that dinner was ready, and sent Hyde to fetch Red and Kick from the den. When he entered the book lined room he was pleasantly surprised to find Eric there talking with the two veterans also. Hyde might like to tease Eric, but he was always happy for him when he could find common ground with Red and get along well for a while.   
During the meal kitty was in mother hen heaven! It turned out that King; Max, Kick and Connor hadn’t eaten much but diner food for a very long time, and dug into the home cooked meal like starving men. At one point Connor and Kick got into a tug of war over a basket of rolls and it very well could have come to blows if King hadn’t brought it to an end by reaching in and taking the rolls out for herself. The two men protested loudly at her ‘bad form’ as they called it, but calmed down when Kitty informed them there would be two kinds of pie for dessert.  
Kick looked at Eric with a solemn expression “dude, I love your parents” he said with a note of awe “your dads fucking fierce and your mom is so damn nice and her cooking is amazing! No wonder you’re so cool” he said as if he had figured out a puzzle of the universe.  
Eric was about to answer when Red barked at Kick to get his elbows off the table!  
“Sorry sir!” Kick said respectfully and did as Red said.   
When dinner was over both King, Jackie and Max immediately offered to help kitty clean up, but she wouldn’t have it.   
“No Jackie, this is a party for you for doing such a great job getting into Stanford! You and your friends go sit in the living room and have a drink with Red, but only one if you’re driving!” she commanded while shooing them out of the kitchen with a dishrag.  
They did as she told them and joined the others back in the living room, red was telling Eric, Hyde and Kick a story involving his hatred of ‘commies’ while Kick took that and ran into a rant about his hatred of fascist’s, Hyde and Eric simply sat there smiling with suppressed laughter.  
“Kitty kick you all out?” Red guessed when the other three found seats.  
“Yeah, you’d think she’d like some help with all those dishes?” Jackie said curiously  
“She has a system and it’ll go faster without help” Red explained  
“Isn’t that what she tells you to keep you from breaking anymore of her good china dad?” Eric asked with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smirk.  
Red gave him a stern look “that’s as may be son, but never forget your own failure with her chaffing dish” red said in a level threatening voice.  
Eric’s eyes widened with panic “it was an accident!” he cried defensively.  
“This is hilarious” Hyde whispered to Jackie who nodded avidly in agreement  
“We should have popcorn” she whispered back with a giggle, they had entered their own bubble again so easily that it came as a mutual shock when king cleared her throat loudly to get their attention.  
“As much fun as you two seem to think this is, for us – apart from Kick of course” she said gesturing to her cousin who was watching Red and Eric’s back and forth like a tennis match. “It’s a bit awkward, so if either of you clever people would like to jump in and distract them from their discussion of the ‘great crockery disaster of ‘75’ as I believe it’s called? Id greatly appreciates it” she told them dryly.  
“Sorry” Hyde apologized sheepishly  
“Yeah sorry king, it’s just Eric and Mr. Forman’s arguments are funny” Jackie explained equally sheepish at her and Stevens’s behavior.  
“I can see that, but we don’t really know these people so if it’s going to go on much longer we should probably go home” she told Jackie regretfully  
“No no, we can stop it can’t we Steven?” she said turning to him in a whirl of dark hair and wide panicked eyes  
“Yeah man, we’ve been doing this for years, don’t worry” Hyde assured king, who broke into a wide crooked grin.  
“Look at you two! Being a team and crap!” she cooed at them, making Jackie blush and Hyde….well he blushed too but was working on a more manly term for it. “and as adorable as it is, make the bickering stop or I’m going to have kick and max do their Sinatra and martin impression. You do not want to see that!” she told them emphatically  
“Actually that might be a good way to distract them?” Jackie mused with her conniving expression, the one Hyde had always equal parts loved and feared; she was a dangerous woman when she wanted to be.  
King was staring at Jackie with a look that Hyde couldn’t put a name to?  
“Kid, I am so damn proud of you!” king said giving Jackie a rough one armed hug. “But also what you’re thinking is going to be a train wreck of epic proportions” she said seriously  
“worse than that?” Jackie asked pointing to red and Eric who were now shouting and waving their arms around over a serving platter they both claimed the other had broken on thanksgiving in 1971.  
King stared at the ridiculous scene for a moment, then without looking away called to her friends “Kick, max – go to the piano” she told them seriously. Hyde was impressed when they did as she said immediately, and leaned back on the couch with his arm across the back giving him the small illusion that it was around Jackie. They watched as king began to play ‘aint love a kick in the head’ with max and Kick doing their best (but still pretty bad) crooner impressions in accompaniment. Hyde was surprised at how well King played the piano, it seemed red was as well because he stopped arguing with Eric to watch the ridiculous performance just as Jackie had predicted. The music brought kitty in from the kitchen and she smiled happily as she sat on the arm of reds chair, Jackie watched as Red subtly held his wife’s hand and smiled slightly at her.  
After the song ended and king began to get up, kitty asked if they knew ‘fly me to the moon’. King turned and nodded to kitty with a smile, and the trio launched into their hostesses request. It wasn’t long before red was passing out drinks and laughing with Eric and kick, kitty was drinking margaritas with Connor while asking him to say common place words in his Irish accent which he had let slip after his first ‘kitty Forman’s famous margarita’, Hyde sat by Jackie laughing and smiling while keeping the promise to himself and her by drinking only soda, while Jackie smiled a proud little smile at him for not even mentioning that he wasn’t drinking. King had initially turned down the drink offered to her, but had accepted one when Max handed it to her with a smirk and a pat on her shoulder. The implication was clear, she wasn’t an on restriction and all was forgiven. 

They were all happily singing along to ‘somewhere beyond the sea’ when a strange high pitched noise interrupted their good time, king stopped playing abruptly to turn towards the source of the sound along with everyone else and saw a tall overly pretty man with the most feathered hair she had ever seen staring at the party going on with righteous indignation mixed with a sort of blank eyed stupidity she hadn’t witnessed outside of inbred animals.  
“You’re having a party without me?!” the pretty man yelled accusingly at them all. “How could you do that? You can’t spell party without Kelso” he whined like a small child.  
“Oh Michael honey, it was a dinner party for Jackie and I wanted it to be nice” kitty explained placatingly.  
“I’m nice” he whined petulantly then glared at the people he didn’t recognize “I bet I’m a lot nicer than these hobo’s you invited” he told kitty with a childish pout.  
“Were not hobos dude” king informed him with one pointed eyebrow raised questioningly, she couldn’t figure out if his stupidity was an act, or if he was truly the dumbest man alive?  
“no they’re ‘punks’” a new voice told Kelso with sneering derision, king watched as donna stepped out from behind Kelso’s lanky frame and gave them all a bitchy condescending look.  
“What are you two doing here?” Eric asked Donna politely but not at all warm in his greeting  
“we went to the basement and heard the party up here, that WE weren’t invited to for some reason?” donna said clearly offended at their lack of invitation, Hyde could hardly believe that she lacked self-awareness to the degree that she simply didn’t get that she wasn’t wanted at a part for Jackie?  
“donna honey” kitty began in a placating tone “you don’t like dinner parties, remember the last one I invited you to, that you only went to because you thought I was ‘menopausy and scary’?” she reminded donna gently.  
“Well maybe I’ve matured?!” Donna claimed in a huff, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at them all.  
“I’ve totally matured” Kelso chimed in before trying to eat a glass grape decoration off the table without realizing it wasn’t candy.  
“Look, the fact of it is neither of you were invited so sayonara!” Hyde told them curtly and made a shooing motion with his hand.  
“Whatever Hyde!” Donna said with a sniff and rolled her eyes   
“donna you and kettle head weren’t invited and that’s all there is to it, it’s a small celebration for Jackie getting into college and since neither of you have felt like supporting Jackie for at least the last year, you don’t get to pretend you are now for free food” Red told them both bluntly, he knew what happened in his home whether they realized it or not and wasn’t too fond of the two gate crashers.  
“Mr. Forman! What about the special bond we share?” Kelso asked in the same whiney tone that was quickly grating on everyone’s nerves.  
“Kelso the only bond you and I will ever share is the one created when I put my foot in your ass!” Red barked at him, quickly losing his patience with the uninvited people in his home.  
“What’s the big deal if we stay? Are we not welcome at a party for Jackie who’ve we’ve been friends with for years?” Donna demanded loftily  
“Donna, you know why you weren’t invited just like you don’t have any interest in celebrating with Jackie for her accomplishment, you just want to prove a point” Eric told her seriously.  
“Wow, big accomplishment, gets into college! I got into college too if you remember? It’s not like she’s the first person to want better than being a house wife in point place” Donna drawled contemptuously.  
“What’s wrong with being a house wife in point place?” kitty asked softly, giving Donna a calm waiting look.  
Realizing what she had said Donna could only gape with her mouth open, unable to back track enough to fix what she had said.  
“Come on mom, I’ll help you bring out dessert while they leave” Eric said with a pointed look at Donna, he didn’t get truly upset often but Hyde felt some pride at the subzero look he was shooting at Donna.  
Donna retaliated with the brash self-centeredness that was a core part of her personality. “Wow Forman, helping your mommy serve dessert at a dinner party? It makes me wonder about you” she smirked vilely.  
Eric opened his mouth to retort, but a loud crashing noise drew their attention back towards the piano.  
The crash had been king slamming her tumbler down on the piano furiously, and the look of complete disgust and contempt on her face made even Red pause.  
“Wonder what?” King asked Donna in a deceptively calm voice which in no way matched the pure loathing in her eyes.  
“Uh….” Donna couldn’t find an answer that would get her out of this one, and Hyde noted a flash of panic cross her cold eyes with satisfaction.  
“Duh, she’s saying he's a queer” Kelso supplied helpfully – and loudly.  
“Really?” king asked Donna with narrowed eyes,  
Realizing that everyone was watching her and she was at risk of losing her persona as being cooler than the others, Donna seemed to decide to stand up to kings anger.  
“Well he did break up with me after all, it’d make sense that he was warped” she sniffed haughtily.  
“Warped?” king hissed disbelievingly  
“King, leave it” max called to his friend softly  
“Warped?!” she demanded louder  
“Kingsley it doesn’t matter what this dumb small town bitch thinks” max tried again to calm her.  
“I’m going to give you one fucking chance to take back what you just said before I break your fucking face!” king snarled at donna, while approaching where the bottle blonde stood across the room from her.  
Donna snorted with arrogant laughter “I’m not afraid of you king” donna drawled the other woman’s name as if it were an insult in itself “I was on the JV wrestling squad” she stated pompously, before her head snapped back sharply and she crumpled to the floor in a heap.  
“Yeah? Well I hold my own against 50 drunk punk rockers” king spat contemptuously at Donna’s semi-conscious form.   
Kitty hesitated, but the nurse in her won in the end and she helped Donna to sit up and stem the blood pouring out of her nose.  
“thab crazy bit’ pun’ed me!” Donna cried shocked and indignant through her swollen lip.  
“I warned you” king growled, clearly still ready to bash Donna’s face in again.  
“now now, there’s no need for more violence, I’m sure donna will apologize for what she implied about Eric” she said with a stern look at donna “and then King will apologize for breaking donna’s nose” kitty said now turned to king who looked about two seconds from ripping donna’s throat out?  
“Not that I didn’t enjoy it, but why is king so pissed off?” Eric asked Max quietly,  
Max looked slowly away from his friend “king doesn’t like when people bad mouth gay people” max explained shortly  
“That was a pretty harsh reaction to something she doesn’t like” Eric noted, looking unconvinced  
“Max is gay and king goes fucking crazy when people give him shit for it” Connor explained sounding bored with max evading the conversation.  
“oh shit” Eric murmured, realizing how far over the line donna had really crossed, belatedly it occurred to Eric that he’d never been friends with a gay man before, apart from the buddy fiasco, and was a bit proud of himself to find that he truly didn’t give a shit about it. He and max along with Kick had a great time talking about movies and comics and Max’s orientation simply didn’t figure into Eric’s view of him, a quick look around the rest of his friends there and his parents showed that none of them cared either.  
Max had left them to pull king away from the object of her anger and was checking her hand with concern etched on his face. King looked down at the floor contritely, this was something that Eric could tell had happened at least a few time before judging by the speech max was giving king in a low voice about not letting what ignorant bigots say get a rise out of her. King didn’t answer; she just squeezed max’s hand with her un-bruised one as a show of solidarity. They were family and she stood up for her family, Eric was reminded suddenly of Hyde?

Donna had come too fully, and kitty helped her to her feet. “I think it’s time you went home Donna, you’ve caused enough trouble” kitty told her sternly  
“Me! That low life bitch punched me and you want me to leave!?” Donna almost screamed into kitty’s placid face.  
“yes honey, she was invited a ha ha ha ha” kitty told donna with a shrug and a laugh, leading her to the kitchen and out the sliding door while donna pissed and moaned the whole way about the whole situation being bullshit.  
“That was the single most amazing thing I have ever seen” Jackie told Hyde in a soft voice, but with a beatific smile on her face. He could tell she felt avenged, as well as validated in her low opinion of Donna. Hyde had to agree watching a girl not a whole lot bigger than donna lay the amazon out in one punch had been one of the highlights of his year, especially since donna hadn’t taken anything he had just freaking told her to heart. He wasn’t sure where she got off thinking she could just waltz into the Forman’s house after the way she had treated Eric? But he now held out a small hope that she would stay away.  
“Kid’s, why don’t you head down to the basement for a bit? Red and I will clean up in here then we’ll have pie” Kitty told them, to their relief she was still smiling, and even patted king kindly on the shoulder as she passed by following the others. She wasn’t upset the young woman she had just met had punched someone in her home, even if it was someone kitty had known their whole life. Also, kitty noted thoughtfully, it wasn’t the worst dinner party she’d thrown.


	12. chapter 12

I always forget to mention that I own nothing, but I don’t.

A/N so I’m not sure how everyone took the news about max? because I had a few people say they wanted to see him with Jackie, well all I can say is – this was the plan from the beginning because max is based on one of my oldest friends, and the ‘wonder what?’ thing did happen once, although I did not manage to knock out the person who was being insulting I did cuss them out with gusto. Anyway, I’m thinking that soon the tone of the story is going to change, but I’m not near done yet, so let me know what you think about the dinner party if you want to. Also if I seemed to have doubled up events from the last chapter to this one, it’s just because I’m impatient and would have had to do time elapse filler to avoid it.

 

Eric led the group made up of his last remaining friends and the new members into the basement. After all they had heard of the basement king and the others were less than impressed with what they found, and also wondered how they didn’t get busted smoking weed? The whole place was impregnated with the smell. Hyde went to his chair out of habit and was about to reach to pull Jackie onto her old perch on his lap when he caught himself and redirected his hand to his half full soda. Hyde had completely forgotten about Kelso’s presence until he took a sip of soda and Kelso made some possibly the only observant comment of his life.  
“Why are you drinking soda? Are you out of beer?” he asked and left his mouth hanging open when he was done talking, which Hyde, Eric and Jackie were used to, but the new comers stared with open disgust.  
“I quit drinking man” Hyde shrugged casually, not wanting to make a big deal about it.  
“That’s so boring” Kelso groaned, and fell back against the couch where he seemed to notice king for the first time. To be fair there had been a lot going on before and Kelso would not be remembered for his ability to follow intricate events. But now that he had noticed her, he was already giving her his ‘suave’ look. “you know for a punk chick you’re pretty hot, I bet you’d look even hotter without the scary clothes like – with no clothes, and I’d be happy to keep you company naked” he said in what he seemed to think was a smooth voice and put his arm around king’s shoulders.  
King glared up at him “if you don’t get your hands off of me this instant you won’t get it back” she informed him without the slightest trace of joking.  
“Now there’s no reason to play coy, I noticed you and I KNOW you noticed me – how could you not?” he said arrogantly and foolishly laid his other hand on king’s thigh.  
“get your feckin’ hands off her!” Connor yelled and pulled Kelso off of King with no regard to his safety as he hurled the man to the hard floor, where he held him without remorse while Kelso struggled uselessly to get free.  
“Hyde helps me!” Kelso called out painfully.  
“Nah man, I’m good” Hyde replied, without even bothering to glance in his direction, to be fair the price is right was on and if he’d looked away he might miss something.  
“You’re making a big mistake!” Kelso yelled at Connor “I was in the point place police” he said to scare the burly man into releasing him.  
“And I was in the provisional, but neither of those things matter now. You touched my friend after she told you to stop! That is not how men act!” Connor hissed with disgust.  
“I was just being friendly” Kelso defended, struggling again against Connors tight grip.  
“You sleazy piece of shit! That’s not friendly, that’s closer to being a rapist!” Connor growled with the deepest disgust in his voice any of them could recall hearing.  
“Uh-uh!” Kelso denied “they’ve all wanted it” he claimed with such assurance that Hyde felt a little ill at the possibility of how many woman Kelso may have thought ‘wanted it’?  
Connor let go his hold on Kelso then stepped back, shoulders squared over his feet ready to put Kelso down – possibly for good? But before he could, Jackie stopped him.  
“No Connor, don’t hurt him” she said getting to her feet.  
“Thank you Jackie!” Kelso cried   
“It won’t do anything anyhow; he’s too stupid to see what it is he does. You could beat him within an inch of his life and he’s still going to think the way he treats women is ok. And taking an anvil to the head wouldn’t get him to stop thinking with ‘little Kelso’ wait, scratch that, ‘very, very little Kelso’ “Jackie amended after a pause where she saw her mistake.  
“Jackie!?” Kelso yelled offended that she wasn’t taking his side, even though everyone there would have been hard pressed to think of one time that he had taken her side on anything.  
“What?” she asked hands on her hips defiantly “its true Michael, don’t act so surprised. All you’ve ever cared about is getting laid! You have no morals and no decency” she put to him without remorse.   
Watching king punch out Donna had been wonderful, but at the same time Jackie hadn’t been able to shake the thought that it should have been her that showed Donna what a bitch she was? So when Connor had been about to teach Kelso that what he did was wrong, Jackie knew it was time for her to say it herself, after all he had put her through it was her right to set him straight.  
“How can you say that to me after all the pleasure I gave you?!” he demanded oblivious as usual.  
Jackie rolled her eyes “there was none Michael, ever” she told him flatly “you only cared about you, you cheated on me with the dirtiest sluttiest women you could find and could have given me something from them! And you never gave a damn! I want you to know though that that isn’t the reason I hate you though. No the main reason I hate you is because you sabotaged Steven and I on purpose! Don’t think I don’t know that you pulled that stupid towel bullshit in Chicago because you’d spotted Stevens car and wanted to get him back for being with me! But there are so many more id have to write a list to keep it straight!” Jackie shrieked at Kelso with more fury than any would have thought could fit in her tiny body.  
“You what?” Hyde finally turned his attention to Kelso now, disbelief that he could have ever thought of this guy as a friend pumping through him.  
“He stole you from me!” Kelso defended as if he had had every right to ruin his friend’s relationship.  
“no he didn’t” Jackie seethed, she would stand up for herself this time and not allow her pity for his stupidity cloud what she wanted to say “we were done, and you had already nailed enough trash for a lifetime before I was with Steven, you just couldn’t stop thinking I was your property or feeling entitled to mess up my life! Let me make it simple for you Kelso – you and I are nothing! We are not friends, we are not even acquaintances! I want nothing to do with you or your vile bullshit ever again! Get out of here and never come back!” she yelled forcefully, the years of cheering allowing her to project her voice spectacularly.  
“You can’t make me leave, this is Eric’s basement and he’s my friend” Kelso told her petulantly, and turned to Eric for support.  
“no I’m not, I’m a guy who’s house you hang around and mooch off of, you’re just not welcome here Kelso, you’ve done too much at this point for anyone to have your back. Maybe you should try to really think about everything you’ve done to us all? Coming on to our girlfriends? Disrespecting our families? Hurting our friends with your selfish actions? Any of that sound familiar to you?” Eric asked with a raised eyebrow.  
“No it doesn’t” Kelso replied blankly  
“Let me help you out” Eric offered “you constantly hit on donna and Jackie while they were with me and Hyde, even when we specifically told you to stop. You slept with my sister and laughed in my face about it, you made sure that Hyde couldn’t trust Jackie around you and then acted like a wounded puppy about it, ringing any bells now?” he asked coldly  
“Yeah those were good burns” Kelso laughed at the memories Eric brought up.  
“Get the hell out of my house Kelso” Eric told him flatly.  
“What? Eric, I said they were burns!” Kelso defended.  
“Mr. Forman!” Jackie called loudly up the stairs “Kelso won’t leave”   
Kelso rolled his eyes “oh please, red loves me!” he told Jackie with. Which evaporated the moment Red Forman stomped down the stairs with a grim look on his face and grabbed Kelso by the scruff of the neck to escort him out the basement door without a word, then locked it behind him.  
He turned to them “kitty says it’s time for pie” he said blandly and headed right back up the stairs.  
“See? Fucking fierce” Kick said in awe, and hopped up to follow red to the pie he spoke of.   
The rest of them followed far more subdued, king in particular had a thoughtful look on her face. It wasn’t long after pie and coffee that they realized king wasn’t in the living room?  
Jackie got up to go look for her but Connor stopped her “nah, I’ll go see to her” he said trying to act casual about it, which fooled precisely none of them even Mr. and Mrs. Forman looked as if they knew he had a motive to go to her.

King sat outside on the Forman’s back patio holding a cigarette she’d bummed off Mrs. Forman, she rarely smoked and really was holding it more than she was smoking it. The night had been a lot for king to take in, not only had she lost her temper and punched that totally deserving bitch Donna, but Connor had nearly beaten up the idiot guy for touching her? Drama wasn’t king’s deal and she needed to just take a moment alone to regain her calm. Which is why when she heard very familiar footsteps behind her she sighed heavily.  
“If you want to sneak up on someone don’t wear boots” she told Connor helpfully  
“I wasn’t trying to sneak up on ya king, I just wanted to make sure you were alright?” he explained taking the chair next to her and plucking the cigarette out of her hand and taking a drag.  
“You’re lucky I didn’t want that” she told him Cooley  
“I’m Irish, were always lucky” he replied with a grin.  
“That explains a lot” king notes sarcastically  
“kings, I want to say sorry for what I said the other night, I should have believed you from the start, it’s just…..you’re so talented it’s hard to believe that you’ll stay happy playing our kind of music when we all know you could make a name for yourself if you played pretty much any other style” he explained contritely  
“I don’t want to be famous, I don’t want to play any other kind of music, and I’m doing what makes me happy” she told him absently, while staring up at the stars.  
“There was something else I wanted to ask you about?” Connor began nervously.  
“What’s that?” king asked taking back her smoke from him.  
“when you disappeared max said….well max yelled at me actually….that you um, are…uh, that you love me?” he finally got out and was glad that it was too dark for king to see that he was blushing deeply.  
Kings eyes go wide at this revelation, and she buries her face in her hands with a miserable groan “I’m going to kill max” she muttered darkly.  
“don’t do that, for one thing you’d miss him too much and for another I’m glad he told me since it sounds like you were never going to” Connor said seriously.  
“I wasn’t, I know I’m not the kind of girl you go for and I’m not so self-assured that I can handle you laughing at me” came king’s muttered response from between her fingers.  
“What makes you think you’re not the kind of girl I go for kings?” Connor asked curiously, he couldn’t think of a thing that could give her that idea?  
“Cus, I’m ya know? – punked out and all your girlfriends are all fluffy and not like me at all” she explained her belief. Connor laughed  
“Kings that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard you say, and I’ve seen you drunk.” He kept laughing “I know I shouldn’t say this for a while seeing as how until just a moment ago I was engaged, but I’ve always cared about you more than usual friendship and I think you’re gorgeous.” He told her clearly nervous  
King stared at him in the dim light, her deep blue eyes wide “I’m sorry but I’m going to have to ask you to repeat that, possibly slower and with visual aids” king said softly, too amazed to find her full voice.  
Connor grinned shyly at her and laced his fingers with hers “I’m sayin’ I love ya back ya crazy lass” he replied letting his full brogue slip out, he had been trying for years to neutralize his accent to stop the endless questions about it, but king made him forget to keep his guard up. King tightens her fingers around his and smiles shyly at him, Connor returns her smile and they stare at each other in silence for a moment before Connor mutters ‘ah fuck it’ and pulls king onto his lap to kiss her deeply.   
“Aww!” Jackie sighs from her hiding place between Steven and Kick in the garage where they’ve been watching their friends the whole time.  
“Shh! If they find out were here spying they’ll go fucking agro on us” Kick cautioned her fearfully  
“Sorry” Jackie whispered ruefully  
“Its fine you can make it up to us by letting us crash at your place, something tells me were going to want to give those two their privacy?” Max told her with a grossed out look on his face at his two friends full on making out in a metal patio chair.  
“Yeah we should leave now, before we see more of either of them than we want to” Eric noted with a grimace as Connor slid his hands up kings back in full view of the open driveway.  
They had snuck into the garage to make sure that Connor was going to be a man and talk to king; they were happy for their friends but had seen more than enough to confirm they were alright now. So the five snuck back the way they’d come as quietly as possible to give King and Connor some privacy, well as much privacy as they were going to get directly in front of a sliding glass door.  
Hyde followed Jackie into the living room that was now empty, Red and kitty had gone to bed and Eric, kick and max were nerding out over his comic book collection in the basement, and Hyde had made the easy choice that he’d rather spend time with Jackie if he could.  
“You look happy” he noted as they sat on the couch and set the remaining pie between them to share.  
“I am, I wanted king to get her happy ending so badly it was all I could do not to clap when he said he loved her” Jackie told him with a huge smile  
Hyde couldn’t help but smile slightly in return “you really care about her huh?” he asked curiously, he already knew she did but was curious to hear her answer anyway.  
“From the moment I met king she accepted me, she never made me feel stupid or small or any of the other unpleasant things certain blonde bitches made me feel. She’s as far from me as I think someone can be, but she still wanted to be my friend, even after she saw my unicorn sweater and my disco records – king never made fun of me. It’s made it so that I don’t second guess myself half as much as I was, and I’m starting to feel like a real person again. I think I finally understand you and Eric now too, you know that he’ll be there for you no matter what and past all the teasing and crap he truly gives a damn about you. I’ve never really had that before and it’s incredible the security that working with a safety net has” she told him excitedly describing it.  
“I wish I’d been like that for you” Hyde admitted a little sadly, he knew he should have always made her feel that security and hated that he’d been to week and immature to do it.  
“Well I expect you to be like that now Mr.!” Jackie said pointing her pie covered fork at him threateningly to remind him of their previous discussion.  
Hyde set his own fork down and took Jackie’s small hand in his and stared directly into her eyes “Jacqueline, you are and have always been the most important person in this world to me, and I promise that no matter what happens in the future I won’t ever let you feel like you’re on your own again. I really love you jacks and when I become the person I should have already been I’m going to get you back” Hyde swore softly to her over Mrs. Forman’s apple pie.  
“You’re going to ‘try’ to get me back” Jackie clarified primly “there’s no guarantees Steven” she reminded him realistically  
“I’m not going to argue with you doll, just know that I will do everything in my power to get you to want to be with me when the time comes, but until then nothing you could do or say will make me act like an ass and bail again, you’re my best friend and it’s about time I acted like it” Hyde told her seriously and kissed her softly on the forehead.  
“Steven?” Jackie began in a small voice  
“Yeah jacks?” Hyde replied curiously  
“How are you getting to LA?” she asked mildly  
“Forman and I are driving in the el Camino” he told her easily  
“Can I come too?” she asked hopefully  
Hyde stared at her; she wanted to spend days on end in a car with him and Forman? The answer was obvious.  
“Of course jacks! We could take you to your new place and help you get set up, I’m sure Forman would love to visit all of them before I take him to Mexico” he surprised himself with his enthusiastic response but it just sounded so perfect he didn’t care if he came off as cool and aloof. It would be a real chance to repair some of the damage he had done to his and Jackie’s relationship and he couldn’t pass it up.  
“Yay! We leave in 6 weeks!” Jackie told him excitedly  
“Yes dear” Hyde teased affectionately and smiled at his favorite chick in the world.


	13. chapter 13

I own nothing.  
A/N ok this is going to be a long authors note so kick back and relax, first of all to 80sunlovechild – I suck at writing fez so I sent him on a trip, sorry. To msstock87 – thanks for being the first to ever comment, it was cool. To JA Ingram – yes! You are the only person to get that she was talking about seeing Stevie ray Vaughn play and that is freaking awesome! As I said I am way impressed. A big thanks to danigirl84 who sent an awesome list of things to yell at Donna and that really helped me keep on track and not just call her a sanctimonious bitch over and over. To aliyamad – your many reviews were so cool, thanks so much for not only liking the story, but for sighting specific parts you liked, especially since the way king talks is literally the way I talk so that’s kinda gratifying. And finally to everyone that has reviewed or even enjoyed the story, thank you so much and I hope you stick with it and enjoy it till the end. Now back to the story!

Kitty Forman was upset; there was just no other word for how she was feeling. Her precious baby boy was leaving in just a few measly weeks and if that weren’t already bad enough – her other son was leaving with him! But it didn’t stop there, oh no! Those two ungrateful little twerps were absconding with the girl that was like a daughter to her - already grumpy husband, and also taking the only person kitty had to talk to about girly subjects! And what was she left with?! Red ‘I’ll be in the garage’ Forman! How could they do this to her? She raised them better than that she was sure.  
But she had to admit under all the upset on the surface she was so very proud of them all.   
Tiny, delicate Jackie Burkhart was going to one of the best schools on the west coast all on her own merit, and she was going to be a success kitty was positive. She sure deserved it after the crummy hand the poor girl had been dealt, lousy parents, worse friends and ending up more alone than most people would ever have to experience, but she hadn’t let it beat her down and now she was off to make something amazing of her life.  
Then there was Steven Hyde, her grumpy paranoid adopted son was heading to California too, only further south - to LA, to work for his real father at his new recording studio just recently set up. Kitty was so happy to see her Steven finally trying, finally admitting that he gave a damn about anything, finally letting go of his awful start in life and truly moving on to be the man she and Jackie had always held faith he would be someday.  
Finally Eric, her sweet baby boy – the only one of her biological children to care about her at all, sure he was the usual smart mouth teenager, but he never made her think he would rather she weren’t around. But he was off again so soon after coming home, this time to Mexico to help start a school. She was so proud of him for his work with children that her heart nearly burst when she thought of it, but she was still going to miss him terribly every day.  
She was going to miss them all terribly each and every day. They were her children and she worried about them being so far from home, so far from her that if something bad happened she wouldn’t be able to help in time. They were all smart and strong, but sometimes that’s not enough, and none of them had really ever been out of their small quaint little town, kitty worried that the west coast would be a shock to them. She needed to know they would be alright; she needed to know they would be looked out for, and that’s why she was sitting at the small kitchen table before anyone else in the house would be up for a few hours at least, drinking coffee and waiting for someone. Finally her guest arrived and tapped politely on the glass door near where kitty sat in her robe and slippers.  
She got up and let her guest in out of the cold and offered them a seat and some coffee?  
“Sure that’d be great” they replied stifling a yawn, it was only about 5:30 am after all.  
Kitty set the steaming mug before them and started curiously at the person seated across from her that she had only met a short time before. Kitty had never seen a person like this in her life; Kingsley was not what kitty had expected Jackie to show up with for dinner when she had said to invite her new friends. But kitty was sharp, and had spent many years working at a hospital where you see the best and worst of humanity, she knew better than to judge this young woman just because she looked like she was wearing a Halloween costume all the time.  
“so why did you want to see me?” king asked politely, after what she had seen so far king had a healthy respect for the Forman matriarch, so when she called king at the motel and asked her to come over early to talk with her, king had agreed immediately.  
Kitty’s face was solemn as she regarded kings large blue eyes, “I’m worried about my kids Kingsley” she began softly “and I could tell the moment I met all of you that not only are you the one that will understand what’s worrying me, but that you’re the strongest of them.” Kitty told her candidly.  
“I get that you’re worried about them all moving so far away from you and what they know, but I promise ill look out for Jackie. She’s a good kid and I won’t let anything bad happen to her, I know me and my crew look rough and scary, but honestly the people I’m friends with out there are some of the kindest gentlest people you’ll ever meet” king assured the older lady seriously.  
“I don’t doubt that Kingsley, I know enough not to judge people by their outward appearance – but by their actions. Look at Donna for instance? She’s a pretty girl from a good home who dresses normally, but she’s arrogant and cold and condescending, she’s looked down on me for more years than I care to remember because even though I have a career – and I’m darn good at it too – my first priority is my family, and I wanted to have a family, but she has always believed that she’s better than me. But you? You have the most artificial shade of red I’ve ever seen hair dyed, you’re makeup looks like its inspired by a raccoon, your clothes are tattered and patched and covered in spikes and safety pins – but I can see that you have a good heart and I’ve seen your wonderful spirit” kitty told her with the sort of candor only possible in the very early morning.  
King grinned at kitty “well to be fair, raccoons are pretty awesome” she joked, not at all troubled by the comparison.  
“Tell that to red” kitty laughed thinking of his war on the tiny bandits that continued to that very day. Then kitty became serious again “my point Kingsley, is that I trust you to look out for Jackie and that’s why I want to ask you to look out for my sons as well.” She told her deadly serious, then seeing the shocked look on kings face kitty clarified “I know that they will be far away, Eric especially, but you and I both know that Steven will be around more often than he’s not to see Jackie, and I’m sure any time Eric has a few days free he’ll be there too. When that happens please make sure they’re both alright, and maybe let me know? Oh, I know they’ll call me every week and tell me what’s going on but they won’t want to tell me if they’re having trouble. That’s what I want from you Kingsley, watch out for them and if you see that they’re in trouble? Help them because I know you can, tell me if Eric is too worn out or if Stevens too lonely because they won’t say it. Tell me if Jackie is too home sick, or if – god forbid- her mother comes sniffing around her again after something she thinks she can get from Jackie. They won’t want to worry me, but I know I can trust you not to care if I’m worried and to give me the truth”  
King blinked a few times while she processed the charge she’d been asked to take, then nodded her head slowly “I can do that, I’ll watch out for them and let you know if and when they need you cus I’m sure they all will at one time or another, but I have to ask – what’s keeping you here? There are lots of nice little towns on the coast where you won’t have to shovel snow five months out of the year and you’d be closer to all three of them” king asked kitty curiously.  
Kitty gave king a small smile “my daughter Laurie disappeared a year or two back, she just took off one day and we haven’t heard from her since, the police have looked for her - even checked other states. We don’t know if she’s alive or dead, but she knows this house. And until we know what happened to her one way or another we need to be here in case she ever comes home”  
Kings heart felt like it was going to break hearing kitty’s calm declaration about her daughter, who she knew from Jackie and Eric, was not a very good person but she was still kitty’s child and she would not abandon her if there was any hope.  
“I’ll make sure they’re all safe and sound in California kitty, I’ve got friends in LA too…actually, I know some people in Mexico if it comes down to it, and I promise I won’t let anything happen to them if I can help it” king promised her sincerely.  
“thank you Kingsley, that means a lot to me and Red, after what happened with Laurie I know he’s terrified of something taking Jackie away from us as well, but he said himself that he could see you were ‘one tough broad’ no offence, and he’ll rest easier knowing they have you to guide them” kitty told her kindly.  
“And if they come back with blue hair like kick?” king teased with her crooked grin  
“I don’t care if they get a tattoo as long as they come back to me safe and happy!” kitty declared adamantly  
“you can trust me kitty, punks might look weird but we do have honor and we protect our own, as long as they’re with us they’re safe from most things” king assured her again.  
“That’s what I thought, I may be just a house wife from point place but I know people” she told king, quoting Donna at the dinner party with a hint of hurt evident in her voice.  
“You know kitty, my mom didn’t even give a shit about me, but here you care about kids that you aren’t required to care about, no matter what that sanctimonious bitch has said about you – it’s amazing, and not at all ordinary.” King imparted to kitty seriously, then frowned slightly “I could go punch her again if that’d make you feel better?” she offered thoughtfully.  
“No, no once was enough honey” kitty assured her awkwardly, then laughed at the memory “she sure didn’t see you coming did she?” kitty asked with a giggle.  
King grinned proudly “that she did not, but the offer stands kitty – any time you want me to punch that brat ill drive here and lay her ass out” king promised.  
“I’ll keep that in mind Kingsley” kitty nodded with a smile, Kingsley was a good kid and kitty was sure could get used to the wild hair and cloths, she thought to herself. 

 

Just a few days after kitty had her little chat with Kingsley, the four California punks were in the Forman’s driveway to say good bye for the time being. Kings session work had put them over the top with what they needed to get home, so now that it was done they’d decided it was time to go home. Jackie was standing by Eric and Hyde, on the verge of tears, Eric looked depressed and Hyde looked a bit sad himself, after the dinner party – which would go down in their own personal history as ‘the greatest party ever’ – Hyde had begun to grow close to the group that had adopted Jackie. He and max liked a lot of the same music, and max had been playing Hyde stuff he’d never heard before, and he had to admit he liked it a lot. Kick, Hyde and Eric had similar senses of humor and spent several hours just laughing. But the one Hyde had really hit it off with, was Connor. He had eventually shown up at grooves and Hyde had put him to work, where Connor confused Leo mercilessly by switching from his real accent to his American one, making Leo wonder where he was half the time?  
Hyde had invited him to have lunch one day and they had slipped into a discussion of the two ridiculously important women to them – Jackie and king.  
“So that night Forman called me to come pick all of you up, happened because of something you said to king?” Hyde had asked curiously, he had never been informed to what set the whole thing off.  
Connor grimaced at the memory of acting like a total dick to king, but he respected Hyde enough to tell him the truth. “Aye, I said some things that I regret now. See Hyde, vie known king along time, and when I first met her I thought she was your average bragging teenager, saying she could play anything better than people twice her age and all that. But then I bothered to sit down and listen, and I found out that if anything – she downplayed how good she was. She was that damn good but she chose to play punk rock with the likes of us? I had a lot of trouble believing that no matter how many times they all told me it was simply who she was. And then my X-fiancé, goes and tells me that king got offered a job touring with a famous singer as the guitar player, and that she took it behind our backs….i know I never should have believed Katy, but it was my worst fear realized.  
I couldn’t handle the idea of losing king; I don’t really know how to explain to you what that wild child means to me? All I can tell you is, she’s it for me – always has been, and before you go asking how that can be true while I was engaged? Well, I’m an idiot who was slow to realize what all the thoughts and feelings I had about her meant.” Connor explained candidly.  
“No man, I get it” Hyde admitted regretfully, he knew better than most what it’s like to realize that your closest friend is actually a hell of a lot more.  
Hyde and Connor ate lunch every day after that while they were both working, and talked about more than just king and Jackie, but they almost always got brought up at some point. Hyde was going to miss his new friend, and was already looking forward to their own road trip where their first stop would be getting Jackie settled at their house.  
“I’ll be seeing you then?” Connor said holding out his hand for Hyde’s, Hyde clasped the drummers hand tightly and nodded.  
“Yeah man, we’ll be out there in about a month or so” Hyde assured him.  
“See that you are, we’ll have a grand welcome waitin’ for ya” Connor promised with a grin.  
Kick barreled past them then and hurled his lanky frame at Eric. “Dude you are awesome and don’t let anybody tell you different! I’m going to seriously miss you, when you guys come to drop Jackie off I have a friend who runs a theater, picture it dude – star wars on the big screen as many times as we want!” kick told him staring mistily at the picture in his head of such an awesome event.  
“As many times as we want?!” Eric repeated with a euphoric shout, and put his hands on kicks shoulders “may the force be with you” he intoned gravely.  
“And may the force be with you as well fellow Jedi” kick replied just as seriously  
“Good god man! You were a marine, show some dignity!” red barked at kick from where he’d been checking their cars engine, to make sure it was sound before they left.  
“Sorry sir!” Kick said with a quick salute, then looked to Eric “I find it confusing how much I both fear and respect that man?” he told his friend.  
Eric patted Kick on the shoulder comfortingly “yeah, you’re not alone man, Red makes everybody feel like that” he assured him, then glanced over to see Jackie skip over to look over the engine with red and caught the affectionate smile that lit up Reds face when he saw it was her. “Well except for Jackie that is” he noted as fact.  
Hyde too was watching Jackie and red talk happily over the car’s hood, he couldn’t help but smile at their report, two difficult people who softened their sharp edges for each other was something to see.  
“If you keep staring at her like that she might burst into flames” a dry teasing voice told him from his left.  
Hyde looked in that direction and found king also observing Jackie and red “that is one eerie power she has” king noted sounding impressed.  
“What power is that?” Hyde asked curiously  
“it seems like Jackie can win over the hardest people out there, just by being herself, I mean look at that?” king said gesturing to the pair at the car “your dad has literally killed other humans, I’ve only known him a short time and I’ve counted at least 46 threats to put his foot in someone’s ass, and yet there he is – perfectly content to listen to whatever Jackie has to say because she’s so alive she lights up everything around her. It pretty cool to know someone like that up close” king told him with a pointed grin, then elbowed him to further drive home her point.  
“Yeah man, I get it, she’s amazing and I’m a jackass, this is well covered ground king” Hyde told her flatly  
“Ooh, does someone need some time in the grumpy chair?” she asked in a voice generally used on infants.  
“Grumpy chair?” Hyde asked with a raised eyebrow  
“You don’t strike gold every time Hyde! Let it pass” king cried defensively, then laughed “look, my point is – if you want Jackie to think better of you, you’re going to have to think better of yourself, it’s not her job to constantly reassure you that you’re a good guy who deserves a good life, that’s on you and I trust in her faith in you” king told him quietly, but none the less forcefully.  
Hyde stared at her while he let her words sink in “damn, what are you, the punk rock Confucius?” he demanded, somewhat annoyed that she so easily explained concepts he struggled with for years.  
King laughed until she had to hold onto Hyde’s shoulder for support, when she finally regained her composure she wiped a tear from her eye and looked at him warmly “not that I don’t love the title, but really, it’s easy to see a situation for what it really is from the outside and it helps that I’ve been around a lot more people than you all have, I’ve seen some of it before” she explained her odd intuition realistically.  
“I dunno? I’m not convinced that it’s not really just that you’re too clever for my own damn good” Hyde said thoughtfully  
“Well, she is that too” Connor interjected with a loving smile directed at king, and threw one muscled arm around her shoulders.  
“King I’m going to miss you so much!” Jackie wailed, throwing her arms around her friend, who smiled and patted her back comfortingly  
“Jackie you’ll see me in a month, we need that much time to get the spare room sorted for you to live in” she reminded the crying girl softly.  
“I know, I know, but what if when I get there you guys think I’m annoying and don’t want me to stay?” Jackie spoke her deepest fear out loud.  
“That is not going to happen Jackie, you’re our friend, and we honestly don’t find you annoying at all” king assured her patiently, she wasn’t exactly surprised that this worried Jackie. “Oh, and before I forget, I have something for each of you for your drive to cally” king told them, and went to the glove compartment of their car. She returned with three cassette tapes in her hands and shuffled through them as she stood before them, while they watched curiously.  
“For Eric” she said handing him a tape, which he took and read the title with interest.  
“The Stooges – raw power?” he read curiously and looked up at king questioningly.  
“That’s Iggy Pop’s band, he’s the godfather of punk dude, and I think he may be a little more your speed than what you heard at the club” king explained her selection for him.  
“And for Hyde” she said handing him his tape.  
Hyde stared at the tape for a long while “Dead Kennedys – fresh fruit for rotting vegetables” he read and gave king the same questioning expression Eric had.  
King grinned wickedly at him “trust me Hyde, you’re going to love it” she assured him, then turned to Jackie “and for my favorite of all of you” she said and handed Jackie her selected music.  
Jackie smiled as she read her tapes cover “the Specials” Jackie read aloud and looked at king excitedly, but also curious as the other two were, it was clear that king had chosen music for them carefully and had a reason behind the choices.  
King did not disappoint “they’re one of my favorites, and something tells me they will suit your taste a little better than what you’ve liked so far” king told her a little mysteriously, Then looked at them all with a serious expression, “do not listen to them until you are on the road! Am I clear?” she ordered them all in a tone not to be argued with.  
All three nodded their agreement without really understanding why she had such a rule? But they all trusted her to one degree or another, Jackie however – looked impatient to hear the music king thought she would like. Not that Jackie had abandoned ABBA completely, but she could admit privately now that she mainly liked disco because she liked music you could dance to, she never seemed to want to sit around and listen to the bubbly pop music anymore. No matter what anyone would guess by looking at Jackie, she really did enjoy the punk music king and the others had exposed her to – there was something about it that spoke to her and she really couldn’t explain what?  
“Are you sure you all have to leave now? You could wait a few more weeks and we could like – caravan there together” Jackie suggested while knowing it was unrealistic.  
King gave Jackie an understanding look “you have nothing to fear kid, were going to be there – anxiously awaiting your arrival” she told her with a smile, then looked Jackie straight in the eyes and spoke low and adamantly “you are wanted, you are loved and we are your friends do us the courtesy of trusting us when we say ‘we will be there for you’” king told Jackie as convincingly as she could to sooth her worries.  
“Yeah Jackie, we promise it’s all going to be fine” Kick chimed in   
“We haven’t gotten fed up with Kick yet and he’s way more annoying than you could ever be” max told her gravely, but with a mischievous look in his eyes.  
“Really I think it’s us that should worry about you getting sick of us when you move in, these two seriously never – freaking – stop!” Connor snarled at Kick and Max who were making faces at each other like arguing children.  
“Ok that’s enough!” Red yelled at them all, “your cars as ready as it’s going to get, I’m pretty sure it’ll make it to California – if just barely. Now the longer you drag out these goodbyes, the worse they’re going to get, kitty has loaded you weirdo’s up with enough food to last you a week after you get home. So as much as I know you’re all going to miss each other – it’s time to go” he told them all in his ‘do as I say dumbasses’ voice.  
Kick strode to where Red stood and all traces of his usual antics were gone for the moment as he held out his hand to Red “it was an honor to meet you sir” he told red respectfully  
Red grasped the young man’s hand firmly and shook it “you as well son, and I expect you all to look out for Jackie while she’s with you” he charged kick gruffly. Kick saluted in response and went to thank kitty for her hospitality.   
Their goodbyes went on for a while longer since everyone wanted to be sure they got to everyone else, but finally they piled into their car and called out their final goodbye before pulling out of the Forman’s driveway to start their journey home. Red and Kitty went inside when the car was out of sight, but Jackie, Hyde and Eric remained for a moment.  
“So….what do we do now?” Eric wondered aloud.  
“I dunno? Probably start on all the packing we have to do” Hyde said distastefully  
“I’m hungry” Jackie stated absently as she stared down the now empty street.  
“Food sounds good” Eric mused, looking at Hyde for confirmation  
“I could eat” Hyde agreed  
“To the Bat mobile!” Eric cried dramatically pointing to the vista cruiser, instead of burning him for this – or charging him a geek dollar – Jackie and Hyde followed him to the old station wagon, laughing and suggesting places to eat, in the end it was Hyde’s suggestion of the Sizzler that won after he pointed out that they have a wide selection of Jell-O, with a wink at Jackie.


End file.
